eChapters

The states in the Eastern India where pineapple is grown include West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. In between this states the ideal condition for pineapple is found in most parts of north Bengal and some north eastern districts of Bihar. West Bengal ranks first in production of pineapple in India (Figure 2).

West Bengal and Bihar

West Bengal ranks ninth in fruit production in India with a total production of 3850.5 thousand ton from 261.02 thousand hectare area (Table 1). Major fruit crops are mango, banana, pineapple, guava, litchi, jackfruit, mandarin, papaya and sapota. A large number of other fruit crops such as Jamun, bael, custard apple, ber, lime, lemon, plum, karonda, aonla, etc. are also grown in various parts of the state (Mitra, 2013). Pineapple is one of the important fruit crop of West Bengal covering an area of 11,410 ha with an average productivity of 30.24 t ha-1(Table 2). The state of West Bengal, having five distinct agro climatic zones, is ideally suited for growing several tropical and subtropical fruits. These agro-climatic zones are:

I. Hill zone II. Terai zone III. Alluvial zone IV. Laterite zone

V. Coastal zone In between these five agro-climatic zones commercially pineapple is grown mostly in Terai zone which is situated at the foot hills. High rainfall, light acidic soils and prolonged monsoon are characteristics of this zone. So the districts are Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and some parts of Alipurduar. Besides terai zone other places where pineapple is grown in small scale or for experimental purpose are described below.

Pineapple botanically called Annanas comosus L. is basically believed to be native to Brazil and thereafter it spread to worldwide over many centuries from its centre of origin. It is a subtropical fruit crops requiring humid climatic conditions with slightly acidic soils for its favourable growth and development. In India it reached around 1548AD. The juicy fruits are good source of Vit-A, B and C along with micronutrient Calcium. A single unit of pineapple fruits is reported to contain moisture-85%, sugar-13per cent, protein-0.6%,mineral mater-0.05%, fibre 0.3%, Ca-0.02%, phosphorus- 0.01per cent iron- 0.09.0 acids- 0.6%, Vit-A (60IU/100g), riboflavin (120mg/100g) and Vitamin-C (63mg/100g). All parts of pineapple are utilizable from delicacy of fruit for table purpose to making fabric Pina in some country like Philippine. Indeed the dry waste after juice extraction can also be used as good feed for cattle. India is such a country blessed with diverse agro climatic zones and eight classification of agro-climatic zone has been officially classified for suitability of different fruit crops based on their climatic requirement. One of those classifications is North Eastern subtropical Humid Zones which comprises of eight states namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Manipur is a land-locked state situated in the North Eastern Region of India. It is encircled by 9 hill ranges in all sides and has a small valley in the center (the capital Imphal is located in this valley). The State has 352 km long international border with Myanmar to the south-east and 502 km long border with the adjacent states of Nagaland on the North, Cachar district of Assam on the West and Chin Hills (Myanmar) and Mizoram on the South and the South-west and Surma Tract and upper Chindwin of Myanmar on the East. Manipur is next to Assam among NE states in respect of area of Pineapple cultivation. Owing to conducive soil and climate, Manipur is one of the major hubs for pineapple cultivation among the north east states where because of its popularity, it has surplus in area and production compare to other fruit crops in the state.

Pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.] is one of the most importanttropical fruit belonging to the family Bromeliaceae and is native to Brazil. It is cultivated in High rainfall and humid coastal regions of peninsular India and Hilly areas of North eastern states. In India, pineapple is commercially cultivated in the states like West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Bihar, Tripura, Kerala, Nagaland, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya on large scale whereas on small scale in the states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh etc. It is popularly known as ‘Ananas’ in India and has lot of health benefits due to the presence of a proteolytic enzyme called bromelin, which is used to tenderize meat (Coppensd’ Eeckenbrugge, 2011). It acts as antiamoebic, arbortifacient and also used in correction of stomach disorders (Leal and Coppensd’ Eeckenbrugge, 1996). It is consumed both fresh and processed but mostly as fresh (70%) (Loeillet, 1997). Portuguese are the first people to introduce pineapple to India. The greenhouse cultivation of pineapple was first started in 1500s by Europeans, which led to the varieties like Smooth Cayenne and Queen and transported to all tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Collins, 1951). Due to its ease in transport of its propagules and high tolerance to drought, pineapple cultivation has spread worldwide. But due to its short shelf life, in temperate regions it is consumed more as processed food. The first commercial product made out of pineapple is jams and sweets (Thevet, 1957).

1. Introduction

 Mushrooms have been part of man’s diet for centuries (Rajarathnam and Shashirekha, 2003). Mushrooms grow on wide range of agro-residues, biodegrade and biotransform them into edible fruiting bodies (Rajarathnam and Zakia Bano, 1988a; 1988b; 1990; Zakia Bano and Rajarathnam, 1988; Zakia Bano et al., 1993; Rajarathnam et al., 1998). Their post-harvest life is very ephemeral at room temperature (Rajarathnam et al., 1983) due to delicate flavor (Rajarathnam et al., 1990) and high moisture content, with a range of chemical constituents (Zakia Bano and Rajarathnam, 1986; 1982; 1988; Rajarathnam and Zakia Bano, 1990; Rajarathnam et al., 1983; 1992). Since, they contain large quantities of water and therefore suffer considerable weight loss during transportation and storage, causes serious economic losses, due to reductions in weight and quality (Gray, 1970). When the supply of water, organic substances and minerals are cut off at harvest, the fresh mushroom enters a deterioration or perishable phase. Cap opening and stem elongation are the usual symptoms of senescence constituting visible evidence of deterioration. At room temperature, the shelf-life of mushrooms cannot be for more than 24 h (Rajarathnam et al., 1983). During this period, there are considerable changes in color, texture and taste. In addition, water is continuously being lost as a result of transpiration and respiration. Additional loss occurs from surface cracks and bruises that develop during growth and handling (Salunkhe et al, 1991). Fresh mushrooms are white or light buff, with no dark marks on either the cap or stem. The veil is closed and the gills are not visible. The upper surface of the caps should be strongly convex and stems should be plump rather than elongated. Mushrooms are grown on compost, usually in mushroom houses where the temperature and humidity can be controlled. Eventually after harvest, the mushrooms can never be able to withstand any increase in temperature and decrease in relative humidity. Mushrooms are commercially preferred at the immature stage characterized by closed caps, invisible lamellae, round stipe and light color. Agaricus development is classified into various stages (Table 1). Thus, the concept of physiology of fresh mushrooms being very complicated, bears a great impact on the delicate problem of extending the storage life. The various means and methods studied and adopted by various researchers to aim at extended storage life of fresh produce, underlined by its physical, chemical and biochemical properties and also development of value added products are critically evaluated.

Storage is one of the most important aspects of post harvest handling of fruits and vegetables. The main objective of storage is to extend storage life of fruits and vegetables and increase their period of availability. A substantial quantity of fruits go waste in India due to lack of proper storage facilities. Storage of fruits and vegetables is practiced for various reasons. Proper post harvest handling of fresh horticultural produce helps in extending  period of availability of wide range of  fruits and vegetables round the year, prevention of seasonal market gluts, orderly marketing, better return to grower and  preservation of  nutritional qualities. The   long  term  storage  of  fruits  and  vegetables is expensive and requires high level of technical  knowledge of crop. However, an orderly marketing reduces storage period considerably. 

Storage : It can be defined as keeping the commodity fresh or processed in safe condition with minimum of deteriorative changes for later use.

Reasons of Deterioration During Storage

Abstract

Pulses constitute an important component of the diet and are a major source of protein in vegetarian diet. India has largest area under pulse cultivation and produces a variety of pulses. A large portion of this produce gets spoiled due to insect and fungal attack. A variety of insecticides and fungicides are used for the control of pest during storage. There is an increasing trend towards the reduction in the use of pesticides in storage due to strong demand from consumers to choose food with no pesticide residue, development of insect resistance to pesticides and the impact of pesticides’ use on environment. All these have posed a challenge to refine the existing management procedures of storage and commodity to find the optimal solution. Controlled/ Modified Atmosphere storage offers an alternative to the use of pesticides extends storage life and maintains product quality. The Controlled/Modified Atmosphere is created by altering the composition of the atmosphere in terms of CO2, O2, and N2 concentration. High CO2 produce undesirable conditions for insects and microbes and thus control their activity.

1. INTRODUCTION

To over come the problem of glut of perishables and to regulate the market, storage of such commodities is a 'common' practice. Storage of fruits and vegetables also makes available these commodities in the off-season. Needless to say, storage is a powerful tool in the prevention of postharvest losses and to give remunerative prices to the farmers. The management of temperature and relative humidity are the most important factors determining storage life of horticultural produce. The natural means like ice, cold water, night temperature have been used for long time for protecting food materials from spoilage and these are still common. However, with the development of innovative technologies, it is possible to achieve optimal environments in the insulated stores. All these aspects are discribed in this chapter.

Onion bulbs remain vulnerable to moisture loss, sprouting, rotting and microbial deterioration during extended storage. Traditional structures frequently provide inadequate ventilation and expose produce to fluctuating temperature and humidity. This chapter examines scientific curing and storage technologies, including improved ventilated structures, zero-energy cool chambers, forced-air systems and controlled or modified atmospheres. Renewable-energy and solar-powered facilities are considered for small and marginal farmers. The chapter also discusses value addition through dehydration, powdering, flaking, pickling, paste production and other processed products. Improved storage enables gradual market release and price stabilization, while value addition reduces waste, creates diversified products, enhances shelf life and generates additional income for growers and processors.

Introduction

India is bestowed with huge production of fruits, vegetables, cereals, millets, sugarcane along with meat production, milk production, fish production and poultry. Despite such a huge production in India, owing to perishable nature of these produce around 25-30 per cent of the produce is being lost as post harvest loss. The one important reason for this may be the production of the crops are season specific and during the peak season the production is more while demand for consumption is less. It may be possible to cut down losses to great extent, if these produces may be transported from the produce states to those who are not producing due to agro-climatic reasons. So for making transportation of the perishable a successful venture in decreasing post harvest loss, there must be proper storage facilities both at producing site as well as marketing place. The aim of the storages must be to keep the produce in saleable condition during entire storage periods. Some products are stored for short period whereas fresh fruits, vegetables require cold storage. Foods before keeping into the storage room need some pre-storage treatments for better results.

Proper marketing of perishable commodities such as fruit and vegetables often requires some storage to balance day-to-day fluctuation between harvest and sale or for long term storage. Storage of horticulture produce is attempeted with a view to extend period of availability. Storage controls shelf life of produce by controlling rate of respiration, transpiration, ripening and biochemical changes all of which are responsible for shelf decomposition/deterioration of produce. Further, different types of storage have different attributes in minimizing microbial infection and thus add to better storability of produce.

SYNOPSIS

Urban and rural agriculture are different entities in terms of stakeholder involvement and enabling environment for farming but they are dialectically interlinked in providing food and nutrition security of any country. Urban agriculture is more suitable on the production of nutritious crops, while rural agriculture’s first priority is to produce more food from staple. Attaining nutrition security is more complex than it is previously thought. However, while existing systems of production should continue at field levels by developing more nutritionally rich cropping patterns, its integration with farmers’ farming systems remains more important.

Abstract

The control of micronutrient deficiency is a realizable goal, notwithstanding the magnitude of the task, challenges and constraints that need to be resolved. Since wheat products particularly maida and atta form the major raw material in widely consumed food items like chapati, bread and biscuit. Fortification of flour as followed in many other countries could be an important strategy to help realize this goal. The technology of flour fortification is effective and cost affordable. Effective flour fortification program would require collaboration between scientific community, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and industry and consumer groups.

Abstract

‘Made in India’ is no more a sign of poor quality. However, in the field of food grain exports, India is still lacking the required determination. The Indian food grains get rejected in the International market because of its out-dated post harvest technology (PHT). The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal national agency for the procurement, storage, processing and transporting of food grains, and their further distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The government fixes the procurement price as well as the distribution price of the food grains, and the FCI has to accept it. The government compensates the resulting loss through subsidy. The government, through FCI, must encourage cultivation and marketing of premium quality food grains, by offering suitable incentives to farmers. The cost of marketing, storage and transporting of food grains can be considerably reduced with simultaneous improvement in quality of the end product, if the prevailing bag handling is replaced by bulk handling, storage, and transportation. However this needs closer coordination between various departments of the Ministry of Food and Ministry of Railways. The President of India revealed his vision to make India a developed country by the year 2020. To achieve this, the current post harvest losses to the tune of 10 percent must be reduced to 2 percent. This is possible if the government takes bold political decision supported by equally firm and time-bound necessary

SYNOPSIS

In all probability the ancient farmer’s market originated on the streets of villages and later on, on the streets of towns. The street food survived through decades and centuries and now it has assumed its new role in fulfilling the readymade food demand of the working people of mega cities. The street food has now more relevance to the growing urban population. With the lapse of time and migration people to the cities, the business and activities of street food got expanded in qualitative and quantitative terms worldwide.

Street Foods-An Introduction

The National Policy on Urban Street Vendors (2004) defines street vendor as a person who offers goods for sale to the public without having a permanent built-up structure but with a temporary static structure or mobile stall (or head load). Street vendors may be stationary occupying space on the pavements or other public/private areas, or may be mobile in the sense that they move from place to place carrying their wares on push carts or cycles or baskets on their heads, or may sell their wares in moving trains and buses. The total number of street vendors in India has been estimated to be ten million and the number of street food vendors has increased sharply in the past few years (Bhowmik 2005).

The preparation and sale of street food is an age-old activity with historical roots and complex socio-economic and cultural implications. Street food vendors are mostly outside the regulation of the governments and unregistered thus making them an informal sector. Similar to most other informal sector enterprises street food operations too are carried out with minimal investment, infrastructure and as familial operations. Street food outlets are seen mushrooming at crowded public places like bus stands, cinema halls, market areas and parks. They operate as temporary structures or as pushcarts parked near the roadside or at pavements. Most street food vendors operate their food stands alone and are able to generate sufficient income for sustenance.

Structure

Structural unit of edible portion of most fruits and vegetables is the parenchyma cells and makes up bulk of cells. A parenchyma cell is rather thin walled and may be polygonal or cubical in shape.  Walls of parenchyma cells in young plants are composed almost entirely of fibrils of cellulose. In parenchyma cells of plants actively metabolising protoplast portion represents only about 5% of total cell volume. This protoplast is rather film like and is pressed against cell wall by large water filled central vacuole.  Protoplast has inner and outer semi permeable membrane layers between which is confined cytoplasm and its nucleus. 

The word meat comes from the old english word mete, which referred to food in general. Most often this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys and lungs etc. In other words we can say meat is those animal tissues which are suitable for use as food by the man. It is composed of numerous types of tissues like muscle tissues, epithelial tissues and nervous tissues but the major component of meat is muscle. Particularly skeletal muscle is the principal source of muscle tissue in meat while smooth muscle contributes little to meat. The muscle and connective tissues are the major compositional components and contributes towards qualitative and quantitative characteristics of meat. Broadly muscle can be classified into striated and smooth muscles. Striated muscles have transverse band pattern as seen in skeletal and cardiac muscle. However, smooth muscles do not show such pattern and mainly found as a component of blood vessels.

Abstract

This review presents an idea on the botanical description, medicinal properties and traditional usage of wild, edible and aromatic plant (Nymphaea alba) in the human nutrition. Nymphaea alba Lin, also known as the White Water lily, White Lotus, or Nenuphar is an aquatic flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae. Nymphaea is a weed in India and its production pretty much as good as water chest nut and Nelumbo nucifera. Its rhizome is rich in tannic acid, gallic acid, alkaloids, sterols, flavonoids, glycosides, hydrolysable tannins and high-molecular-weight polyphenolic compounds. It is used as associate aphrodisiac, anodyne, antiscrophulatic, astringent, cardiotonic, demulcent, sedative and antiinflammatory. Further, it conjointly produces calming and sedative effects upon the nervous system, and is beneficial within the treatment of sleep disorder, anxiety and similar disorders. Moreover, the content of starch in the rhizome is said to be 40%. Extensive work has been carried out on agronomic and phenotypic properties for most plants, but relatively little study has been carried out on the properties which are of direct technical and economic interest to competitive food and nonfood industry. Non-conventional food resources and their value addition have attracted attention in the recent yearsfor their potential use as functional ingredients in food formulations, besides food they have also been used for non-food applications. Moreover, Plants provide the predominant ingredients of medicines in most medical traditions. So, there is tremendous potential for the profitable industrial use of these medicinal plants and exploring them for further use. Keywords: Non-conventional food resources, Nymphaea alba, Rhizome.

Abstract

In the present study, a novel work on comparison of physico-chemical characterization and bacterial diversity of wheat straw compost and vermicomposting has been initiated in the tropical region. Wheat straw compost shows lesser pH, EC, TDS, Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus than vermicompost whereas there was an increase in Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus and Electrical Conductivity and a drop in the pH, TDS and Organic Carbon of the vermicompost as the composting progressed from 0, 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 days. Strains of Bacillus spp. and Thermoactinomycetes were screened from the wheat straw compost, which are ecologically important and have commercial potential for enzyme production. These strains were able to degrade cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and exhibited cellulase activity. Enterobacter aerogenes, Micrococcus luteus and E.coli were isolated from the gut of Eudrilis eugeniae which help in the transformation of biodegradable waste materials into valuable compost.