Mango is a fruit of tropical and sub-tropical regions of Pakistan which has many varieties. Pakistan Produce 8% of the world’s mangoes and ranked 4th in the world for its mangoes production. It is perishable commodity which loss its freshness within a short span of time. Value addition is the only solution which can overcome this loss. Mangoes can be processed in two stages Ripe and unripe. Many products are made from the processing unripe mangoes and their shelf life is increased either by processing them or by adding preservatives. Some of them are given below:
Pickles, chutney and sweet preparations like murraba are prepared by processing of green or semi-ripe mangoes. Processing of mangoes is very well standardized. For pickle preparation unripe mangoes are first washed to remove contaminates then Trim into small Cubes and salt and turmeric powder is applied on them and then these cubes are Solar-dried for a couple of hours. Then mango cubes and other ingredients like methi powder, spices are completely mixed with edible oil. Then packing is done in plastic jar. The shelf life of the pickle is approximately 1 year.
Qaisar Mehmood (Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad)
Muhammad Adnan (Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha)
Hamza Sardar (Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha)
For preparation of Mango chutney first washed the mangoes and chopped them into small pieces. Then cooked these pieces with the spices after cooking, add the sugar and after cooking its pieces are grinded, then packing is done. Shelf life of mango chutney is 18 months.
Murraba is a sweet preparation that is made from the pieces of mangoes. First, like above preparations washed the mangoes then cut them into pieces these pieces are soaked in lemon water for couple of hours and then washed. Then sugar syrup is added and cooked at around 60-65 C and packing of murraba is done with sugar syrup after cooling. Total loss including processing and removal of waste account for 35%. Shelf life of murraba is also 18 months.
Amchoor (Mango powder is product that is made from green and semi ripe mangoes, in amchoor making mango slices are ground in fine powder and used as flavor in samosa fillings, stew, soups, salad, pastries, chutney and pickle. In ripen stage mango can be processed into numerous products such as mango pulp, juice, nectar, fruit sauces, fruit cocktails, flavored yogurt ice cream and dried mangoes. Drying mangoes technology is an oldest method of preservation but nowadays an emerging value-added technology based on removal of moisture from mango slices, which is the principal factor in determines the shelf life of the product. The standard steps include in dry mangoes technology are selection of raw materials, washing, peeling and coring, cutting, blanching, drying and packing. They act as substitute for fresh mangoes in off seasons when fresh mangoes are not available. Maturity content should be 80-90% in to processed mangoes in dried form.
Mango bar is a product that is made from ripe mangoes and served as snacks and breakfast. In the production of mangoes bar first washed the mangoes, then peeled them and extracts the pulp and mixed it with 15% sugar, 1% Lemon juice and 0.2 % Sodium erythorbate. Final steps include drying and cutting into bar.
To conclude, by means of processing not only shelf life of a perishable commodity increases from days to months but it also captures the market.
