eChapters

Jamun (Syzygium cuminii L. Skeels) is an evergreen tropical tree which belongs to family ‘Myrtaceae’. It is commonly known as java plum, jambul, jamun, black plum, faux pistachier, Indian blackberry, doowet and jambolan. Jamun is native to the subtropical Himalayas, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Australia. Its fruits are delicious and have great importance in folk medicine (Ayyanar and Subash, 2012).

Studies have shown that modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and controlled atmosphere storage have the ability to delay quality losses and thus extend shelf life of fresh or minimally processed or fresh-cut produce (Church 1994; Gil et al. 1996a, b; Lee et al. 1995). Modified atmosphere packaging of fruits can result in reduction of respiratory activity, delay in softening and ripening and a reduced incidence of various physiological disorders and pathogenic infestations (Artés 1993).

Introduction

A marketing plan is a strategic document that guides an organization in generating leads and engaging with target customers. It serves as a roadmap for how a company will approach the market, akin to a job description for the business. Every organization needs a well-crafted marketing plan that is tailored to its specific objectives, regularly updated, and aligned with customer demands. Companies with a solid marketing plan tend to be more successful and outperform their competitors compared to those without one.

The marketing plan outlines a strategy for growth by detailing how a company will attract and retain customers. It is an integral part of the overall business plan and lays the foundation for future market opportunities. A strong marketing plan focuses on customer needs and provides a clear roadmap for launching new products, expanding the customer base, and boosting the company’s profile. It includes essential elements such as business goals, mission, budget, and strategies. A well-designed marketing plan ensures effective promotion of products and services, helping businesses reach their target market and track success. Moreover, it should be flexible and adaptable to the evolving market landscape.

SYNOPSIS

With the change of time, and the progressive development in life-style, the menu of food has undergone significant changes in communities, countries, regions and worldwide. This is influenced by the travel, migration of the people, and enhancement of the socio-economic status among the masses.

Cellulose is a homopolymer of β (1–4) glucose linkage. It is the most abundant polymer present on the surface of the earth, which is mainly produced by the vascular plants (Sharma et al., 2019; Dayal et al., 2013; Sheykhnazari et al., 2011). Cellulose obtained from higher vascular plants has been employed for making textile and papers.

Introduction

India has cemented its position as the global leader in milk production for 2023-24, contributing a staggering 230.58 million tonnes, or 25% of the world’s total supply. This achievement reflects an annual growth rate of 4%, driven by a vast network of small-scale farmers who manage one or two milch animals each. Despite their limited productivity, these farmers collectively power the nation’s dairy industry. Before the transformative Operation Flood, the sector was fragmented, dominated by middlemen, and poorly linked to urban demand. The initiative revolutionized the industry, introducing cooperative, private, and state driven organizations that established a seamless system for milk procurement, processing, and marketing. Today, thousands of dairy factories across the country transform raw milk into value-added products to meet India’s immense demand, with rural households allocating 15.51% of their food budget to dairy and urban households spending an even higher 18.19%. Coordinating milk collection from millions of scattered producers and delivering it to processing facilities is a monumental task, yet this streamlined system ensures that India’s dairy sector continues to thrive and satisfy its growing consumer base. India’s dairy export performance in 2023-24 was nothing short of “legendairy,” shipping 63,738.47 metric tonnes of dairy delights worth $272.64 million to fans in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, Singapore, and Bhutan. Butter, ghee, and dairy spreads took the spotlight with $43.65 million in exports (8,106.54 MT) to destinations like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar, spreading Indian flavor worldwide. Cheese exports were equally impressive, with 9,262.63 MT worth $46.84 million making their way to the UAE, USA, and Bhutan clearly, everyone loves a slice of India.

Developing a nutraceutical or functional food is becoming mandatory as looking at the current nutritional status of the population over the world. Nutraceutical foods are proven to cause several health benefits to people. Hence the basic aim behind developing the nutraceutical chocolate bar was to fulfill the nutritional demands and provide some additional benefits to people. The product mainly contains two key ingredients that are, Drumstick (Morings oleifera) which has the most qualities to call a Superfood” and Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) which is referred to as “Mother of all grains”.

Introduction

Though India is a highest producer of milk in the world, only 15 to 20 per cent of the milk is marketed through organized sector comprised of cooperative societies, public and private processing plants. Bulk marketing is limited to processing plants and cooperative societies. In contrast to Indian situation, most of the milk in developed world is consumed in different processed forms. It is something very general to India where overall food markets for processed foods are generally low and same is the case with milk. By all estimates about 75 per cent of the milk purchased by the consumer as liquid milk whether raw or processed. The share of pasteurized milk is only 10 per cent but the demand is increasing at the rate of 15 percent per annum. One fourth of the milk production is processed in the unorganized sector transforming into products like, sweets. Khoa, paneer, curd, lassi, etc. There are small scale milk product manufacturing units which fall in the category of semi-organized sector comprised of creameries, ice-cream units which are manufacturing the similar products as produced by the composite milk plants in the organized sector. They generally serve the local markets but have the important share in processing of milk as well as meeting the consumers specific demands. The organized sector comprised of mainly dairy plants, procures surplus milk through Milk Producers Cooperative Societies and generally follows the HACCP standards leading to quality of the products, whereas unorganized sector is composed of milk vendors, contractors, halwaies and creameries, collect milk from producers and sell either as raw milk or manufactured milk products or both.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a part of “Chenopodiaceae” family. Up to 250 species of Chenopodium have been identified to date. Quinoa is a South American grain that has been farmed in the Andes for thousands of years, particularly in Peru and Bolivia. It is considered as a sacred plant because of its abundance in protein and essential amino acids (Jancurova et al., 2009). Quinoa is distinguished by its excellent adaptability to a diverse variety of land and environmental variables. Both leaves as well as the grains are considered as the edible parts. However, the quinoa grains have been extensively studied and economically explored (Rocha, 2008).

Introduction

Test of pollen viability (extent of pollen viability) is important in pollination experiments to ensure fertility/seed setting. It is also important in monitoring state of pollens during storage in ecological/ taxonomic studies as well as during research on pollen biochemistry, genetics, stigma interactions, and incompatibility studies. Pollen viability refers to the ability of pollen to accomplish post-pollination events to achieve fertilization. Pollen viability test has gained importance particularly in plant breeding and hybrid seed production experiments/ practices. In this chapter, you will be acquainted with the basics of pollen viability test. However, for more professional knowledge on the topic readers are suggested to refer specialized books.

Pollen Viability Test

It is important to know the extent of viability of pollens used in pollination experiment, in finding fertility of a plant of interest, to monitor state of pollen on storage, in ecological/taxonomic studies, as well as in research on biochemistry, genetics, stigma interaction, incompatibility assay, etc. of pollen. Several pollen viability tests have been developed time-to-time. It is recommended to initially use different tests for a given pollen type to find out the most appropriate method that provides reliable result on pollen viability. It is important to note that every procedure requires standardization of protocol according to the sample used. Following different tests are used for assessing pollen viability.

1. In-vitro Pollen Germination Test

It is a simple, speedy, and quantitative test for assessing pollen viability. In this method, a collection/sample of pollen is germinated in vitro and observed under microscope. The percentage of germinating pollens (producing pollen tube) after appropriate treatment and a given period of time is determined. The percentage provides an index of viability of the pollen sample.

Introduction

India’s rural economy has benefited greatly from the dairy sector. It has played a significant role in bringing about socioeconomic change. India’s dairy industry has undergone significant change as a result of the White Revolution. The “White Revolution” can be credited with increasing milk availability and providing rural India with a stable source of employment and income. The business has drastically changed to meet India’s increasing demand for milk and milk products. India is currently the world’s greatest producer of milk. The Operation Flood Program is credited with this title. The dairy market in India is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.61% from 2024 to 2029, from an estimated US$26.11 billion in 2024 to US$35.96 billion by 2029 (Indus Food, 2024). With over 8 crore farmers employed and a 5% national GDP contribution, the dairy industry in India is vital to the country’s economy. With around 25% of the world’s milk supply and a massive livestock population of 536.76 million animals, it tops the world in milk production. With major markets in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Singapore, and Bhutan, India exports approximately 63,738.47 metric tonnes of dairy products in 2023–2024, generating US$ 272.64 million.

Introduction

Government initiatives aimed at supporting small-scale enterprises and fostering women’s entrepreneurship are crucial for driving economic development, job creation, and social empowerment. Small-scale enterprises, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), play a vital role in the economy by contributing to employment, innovation, and poverty reduction. Similarly, women entrepreneurship offers significant potential for promoting inclusive growth, tapping into underutilized talent, and advancing gender equality in business leadership.

Small-scale enterprises often face challenges like limited access to funding, poor infrastructure, regulatory barriers, and market limitations. Women entrepreneurs, on the other hand, encounter additional obstacles such as socio cultural norms, limited access to resources, and gender biases in the business world. To address these issues, governments globally have introduced policies and initiatives aimed at supporting small enterprises and encouraging women’s participation in entrepreneurship.

10.1    Respiration
    
10.2    Effect of Ethylene on Ripening
    
10.3    Transpiration Loss
    
10.4    Postharvest Biochemistry of Banana
    
10.5    Postharvest Pathology of Banana

SYNOPSIS

There have been conflicting practices, recommendations regarding a healthy diet in human beings. Unscientific food habits are limitation to good health and active life. Because of various social, cultural, religious and economic factors human beings in the same climatic conditions and living situations, have been practicing different food habits leading to many health problems. What to eat, how much to eat and when to eat are not clear with the masses. This paper attempts to throw light on these aspects.

11.1    Maturity Indices
    
11.2    Harvesting and Field Handling
    
11.3    Packhouse Operations
    
11.4    Packaging
    
11.5    Precooling

Millets are essential grains that help developing nations in Asia and Africa’s semi-arid tropics, particularly India, Nigeria, and Niger, achieve food and nutrition security.They are grown on soils that are usually too weak for any other crop to grow. They can withstand drought, minimal fertiliser treatment, and temperature swings better than other cereal crops, and their short growing season makes them exceptional. Millets are all-season crops that can be grown all year and provide several security benefits (food, feed, health, nutrition, livelihood, and the environment), making them the most cost-effective agricultural security crop. Sorghum (Great millet), Bajra (Pearl millet), small millets such as Korra (Foxtail millet), Ragi (Finger millet), Kodo millet, Proso millet, Little millet and Barnyard millet are all important millet crops grown in India.

This chapter introduces egg science and technology as a multidisciplinary field combining biology, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, engineering and food technology. It discusses the historical development of egg use and processing and examines the position of eggs as a major global and Indian food commodity. The chapter explains the structure and growth of the Indian egg industry, production and consumption trends, economic and nutritional importance, and the complete egg value chain from breeding and feed through farm production, grading, processing and consumption.

This chapter introduces the biological structure and formation of the hen egg. It examines the shell, cuticle, shell membranes, albumen, yolk, vitelline membrane, chalazae and germinal disc and explains the functions of each component. The chapter also describes the reproductive system of the laying hen, oogenesis and the sequence and timing of egg formation within the oviduct. Comparative egg structures of other poultry species and shell pigmentation are discussed, along with shell ultrastructure and quantitative composition.

This chapter introduces the concepts of internal and external egg quality and explains the methods used to measure important quality attributes. It covers shell quality, shell strength, cleanliness, shape, albumen quality, yolk quality, air-cell characteristics and freshness. Classical indices such as Haugh unit, yolk index and specific gravity are discussed alongside candling and modern non-destructive instrumental techniques. The chapter also explains how egg quality changes during storage through moisture and carbon-dioxide loss and provides a scientific basis for interpreting quality measurements and applying them in commercial grading.

This chapter introduces grading and standardization as mechanisms for converting biological variation in eggs into defined commercial specifications. It examines grade factors, quality classes, egg sizing and weight classification, and Indian standards including AGMARK and BIS. International approaches such as Codex, USDA and EU frameworks are compared. The chapter also describes automated grading equipment, candling, packing systems and packaging requirements. Particular attention is given to Indian egg-marketing channels, price behaviour, cold-chain requirements and consumer perception.