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DBT allocates Rs 4.6 crore & ropes in UAS for jackfruit value addition
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Monday, 30 June, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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fiogf49gjkf0d The Centre’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has allocated Rs 4.6 crore to support a national multi-institutional project titled ‘A value chain on jackfruit and its products’.
The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) has been identified as the leading centre to be roped in for the same.
The other support institutes for the project are agricultural research centres in the North-East.
These include the Central Agricultural Uuinversity (CAU), Imphal, Manipur; the Indian Council for Agricultural Research’s (ICAR) Research Complex for the North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya; Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), South Tripura, and Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat, Assam.
At a recently-concluded research institute-industry interface on UAS’ Bengaluru campus, there was a display of promising value-added products of jackfruit developed and standardised by the university.
Products like ready-to-cook (RTC) tender jackfruit, ice-cream, peda, squash, jack seed powder, ready-to-serve drinks, jackfruit biscuits and jackfruit muffins were exhibited and served for taste to the participating food industry representatives.
“The industry has evinced considerable interest and is keen on technology transfer of the process to develop the jackfruit products on a commercial scale,” Suresha K B, assistant professor, Dairy Technology, All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, said.
“The meet, titled Research-Industry Interface on Jackfruit Value Added Products, was organised to attract the small- and medium-sized food processing industry to take up mass production of these novel products developed from jackfruit,” he added.
Karnataka and Kerala are seen to have a large cultivation of jackfruit trees, besides Goa and the North-East.
In fact, the jackfruit institute and industry interaction associated not just UAS Bengaluru, but also had the presence of few non-governmental organisations (NGO) of Karnataka and Kerala.
“There were about 50 industry partners, cooperatives and entrepreneurs who participated in the event,” noted Suresha.
In the last few years, the university has been providing considerable focus on jackfruit cultivation and its value addition. The viability to develop novel products with the tender, unripe and ripe jackfruits is the biggest advantage for the growers who could provide a supply of the fruit on a regular basis to the small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the state.
The processing of the jackfruit into canned, frozen and dried products further allows it to be used in a large segment of the food industry.
There is also considerable interest evinced by the confectionery and ice cream sector to look at flavour additions with this tropical fruit.
The use of jackfruit in households is common as it used in the preparation of curries and pickles, which the food industry could also take up.
The health benefits of jackfruit are immense. It is known for its rich content of carotene, Vitamin C, pectin, high fructose and sucrose content. It has also a rich source of minerals, like potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
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