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ICAR-IIHR develop ready to serve dragon fruit beverage and jack fruit curry.
Mar 14, 2024

Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (ICAR-IIHR) have now developed a ready to serve (RTS) from dragon fruit popularly known as kamlam fruit.

The food technologists at IIHR said that it is difficult to prepare RTS dragon fruit beverage because of the tiny seeds and the nature of its pulp, said Pushpa Chethan Kumar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IIHR.

The method that was adopted here to develop RTS dragon fruit juice is by using a process where seeds and its mucilage have been removed. It was ensured that the drink retained the exotic colour and taste of the dragon fruit. The RTS will provide consumers a soothing, lighter taste and a bright pink coloured dragon fruit beverage, she said.

The cultivation and harvesting process of yellow dragon fruit is labour-intensive, which is one of the reasons why it is more expensive than other fruits. Additionally, the plant is not as widely grown as other fruits, and it requires specific growing conditions, which can make it even more expensive.

The beverage will have a shelf-life of six months. It is sans any synthetic flavours or colour. The scientists are also working on dragon fruit pulp powder and different flavoured dragon fruit ready to serve beverages.

In the area of ready to eat (RTE) foods the scientists have also given a new form to the popular jackfruit by making it into a ready to eat curry. This innovation was perhaps the most intriguing product for many visitors at the National Horticulture Fair 2024 held at Hessarghatta in Bengaluru from March 5 to 7, 2024.

The food scientists adopted the Retort Processing Technology to standardise the recipe, ensuring the right storage and stabilisation of the final product. With no preservatives, the curry has a shelf life of 18 months at room temperature.

According to the ICAR-IIHR officials, like any ready to eat product, the packet of curry needs to be dipped in hot water for five to eight minutes before consumption. The tender jackfruit curry in ready to eat form increases its reach as well as meets the needs of consumers. This in-turn bolsters the growth of the ready to eat food segment for the processing industry.

With tender jackfruit gaining popularity as a substitute for meat in many countries across the world, over 80 tonne of jackfruit were exported from Karnataka mainly to Bangladesh and Thailand.

Going by the demand, scientists have also come up with a technologically innovative ready to cook product which provides 18 months shelf-life to bulbs of tender jackfruit, It prevents browning of the bulbs and preserves the texture, according to the officials of ICAR-IIHR.

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