As part of the nutrition improvement strategy through agroprocessing, a wide range of processed foods were developed and promoted35 at household and community levels. Simple technologies for dehydration, pickling, bottling, pulping and preparing preserves and relishes from a variety of vegetables and fruits were promoted.
This developed synergies between nutrition and food processing, especially by reducing micronutrient losses, increasing shelf life, meeting part of the daily requirement of nutrients and value addition for some products (see Table 15). The technologies were brought to rural project sites in different districts of the country and have been well accepted by project beneficiaries.
Table 15. Products, main technologies and nutrients provided
|
Product |
Technologies used |
Main nutrients provided |
Approximate shelf life |
|
Fermented cucumber |
Salting, fermentation followed by addition of spices, oil and vinegar |
Potassium, B-complex vitamins |
6 months |
|
Mixed vegetable pickles (cauliflower, carrot, peas, pointed gourd, green chillies, etc.) |
Slicing, curing in oil, salt, spices and acetic acid |
Vitamins A & C, B-complex vitamins, and potassium |
6 months |
|
Fermented cabbage |
Shredding, salting and lactic acid fermentation |
Vitamins C, B-complex, potassium |
3 months |
|
Dehydrated cabbage |
Shredding, blanching, sun drying and packing in plastic-polythene (PP) pouches |
Vitamins C, B-complex, potassium |
3 months |
|
Dehydrated vegetables (bitter gourd, okra, sweet gourd, etc.) |
Shredding, blanching, sun drying and packing in PP pouches |
Vitamins A, B-complex, potassium |
4–6 months |
|
Fermented vegetables (cucumber, ridge gourd, pointed gourd, sweet gourd) |
Steeping mixture of vegetables in 3 percent salt solution, 0.8 percent acetic acid and 0.2 percent KMS |
B-complex vitamins, potassium |
2 months |
| Bottled tomato |
Preserving tomato pieces in own juice; filling, exhausting, closing and sterilizing in boiling water |
Vitamins A, B-complex, potassium |
3 months |
| Tomato ketchup |
Pulp extraction, adding salt, sugar and spices, bottling |
Vitamin A, energy |
6 months |
| Tomato pulp |
Pulp extraction, adding salt, sugar and spices, bottling |
Vitamin A, energy |
6 months |
|
Papaya morobba (preserve) |
Slicing, hardening unripe papaya, drying, adding sugar and citric acid, packing in cellophane. |
Vitamin A, potassium, energy |
6 months |
|
Ash gourd preserve |
Cutting, slicing, hardening by lime water dip, impregnation with sugar, packing in PP pouch/plastic/glass container |
Energy, potassium |
6 months |
| Mango leather |
Pulp extraction, heating, adding lime juice, sugar, KMS, spreading and sun drying pulp on stainless tray; PP sheet packing |
Vitamin A, potassium |
4 months |
|
Mango slices in sugar syrup |
Using up to 40º Bx sugar, sterilizing in boiling water |
Vitamin A , potassium |
4–6 months |
|
Unripe mangoes as semi-processed product |
Using oil salt, spices and acetic acid |
Energy, vitamin A, potassium |
4 months |
| Mango pickle |
Using oil, salt, spices and acetic acid |
Energy, vitamin A, potassium |
6 months |
|
Dehydrated banana |
Flattening by dehydration in solar drier, packing in PP pouches |
Energy, potassium |
2 months |
|
Fried banana chips |
Slicing, soaking in lemon juice water, removal of adhering water, frying in oil, sprinkling spice mixture, packaging |
Energy, potassium |
2 months |
|
Pineapple squash |
Juice extraction, measurement of TSS and acidity, formulation of juice contents like sugar, incorporation of pectin and citric acid, and KMS |
Energy, potassium |
6 months |
| Guava jelly |
Juice extraction, straining, measurement of TSS, formulation of initial mix with sugar, incorporation of pectin and citric acid, cooking to desired consistency and packing |
Energy, potassium |
6–8 months |
| Carrot pickle |
Blanching, salt impregnation, packing with vinegar |
Vitamins A, C and potassium |
6 months |
| Carrot pickle |
Use of salt, spices, sugar and oil |
Vitamins A, C and potassium |
6 months |
|
Lemon and green chilli pickle |
Preparing and cooking raw materials in mustard oil to desired consistency with addition of spices, salt, sugar and acetic acid |
Vitamin C, potassium |
6 months |
|
Lemon squash and drink |
Extraction of lemon juice, concentration with sugar, pasteurization by hot filling in sterile bottles |
Energy, potassium |
6 months |
|
Hog plum pickle |
Use of salt, sugar, spices, vinegar and oil |
Energy, potassium |
6 months |
|
Tamarind chutney |
Pulp extraction, mixing with sugar, salt, spices, mustard oil at specific stages, sodium benzoate as preservative, store in glass bottles |
Energy, potassium, iron |
6 months |
|
Olive pickle and chutney |
Use of salt, sugar, spices and oil |
Energy, potassium, vitamin C |
6 months |
|
Ber (local plum) chutney |
Pulping, mixed with sugar, salt, spices, mustard, vinegar and oil |
Energy, potassium, vitamin C |
4 months |
|
Ber tamarind chutney |
Pulping, crushing, dried ber fruit in definite ratio, cooking mixture to desired consistency with permitted level of preservatives, packing in sterile containers |
Energy, potassium, vitamin C |
4 months |
|
Star fruit pickle |
Use of oil, salt, spices, sugar, acetic acid and mustard oil |
Energy, potassium, vitamin C |
6 months |
|
Green chillies and garlic pickle |
Use of oil, salt, spices, sugar, acetic acid and mustard oil |
Potassium, vitamins C, A |
6 months |
The reduction or removal of the moisture content of vegetables and fruits is an important principle in drying and frying technologies. This involves removal of water from vegetables by either sun-drying or using a dryer.
Dark green leafy vegetables and yellow-orange vegetables should be cleaned, washed and spread on a clean sheet for drying in the sun. When completely dried, these should be powdered coarsely by rubbing with the hand and stored in air-tight containers. These can be used when a fresh supply is not available.
Drying technologies provide a concentrated source of nutrients such as protein and thiamin in the case of dried beans, vitamin A as beta carotene in carrot powder, energy in banana chips, vitamin A and calcium in coriander leaves, and vitamin A, calcium and iron in spinach.
While some of these methods are traditionally used, the project emphasized pre-treatment like blanching, trimming, slicing, and sanitary and hygienic methods during and after drying.
Pickling is a traditional preservation technique involving salting and acidification of prepared fruits and vegetables. A variety of common vegetables and fruits along with less common vegetables were pickled, including brinjals, green chillies, mixed vegetables, radish and garlic.
Considerable value can be added to all vegetables through processing into pickles or chutneys. Chutneys were made from ber, olives, tamarind, hog plum and chalta.36 Pickles and chutneys provide vitamin A (as beta carotene), some vitamin C and potassium. They can be useful dietary enhancers, increasing the bioavailability of micronutrients such as iron in the meal. Oil and salt are major preservative ingredients in pickles and add energy and sodium to the diet. This should be kept in mind in the preparation of calorie and salt-restricted diets.
Fresh juice and juice-based beverages, prepared by extracting the juice and concentration with sugar, are refreshing high energy drinks. Fruits also contain potassium and offer vitality and health benefits.
Tomato juice and tomato-based products provide vitamin A as beta carotene and lycopene, an important carotenoid with nutritional health benefits for healthy vision, prevention of degenerative heart disease and certain types of cancers. The project developed and promoted pineapple, lemon, mango and tomato juice and juice-based products.
Steeping vegetables in brine, juice extraction and use of sugar were the main principles followed in the preparation methods. Salted and fermented vegetables offer the additional benefit of B-complex vitamins, and all products have the advantages of preservation, long-term access and supplementing household nutrition.
Extraction of fruit juice and concentration with sugar were the main principles used in preparation of jams, jellies, marmalades and preserves. Such products provide energy and add some potassium to the diet (see Table 15).
35 Information based on discussions with Dr Amiruzamman, National Food Processing Expert and Mission Report of INES (November 2004).
36 Bael
