Processing of Horticultural Crops (1+2)

Course Overview

Fruits and vegetables are important supplement in human diet as they provide essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fibre required for maintaining good health. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in world after China. At the same time, owing to the perishable nature, the post harvest losses in these commodities are enormous. Generally about one third of the produce goes waste during different stages of handling right from harvest to consumption. Processing and value addition is thus an integral part of horticulture industry as it helps to reduce post harvest losses and wastage, handle gluts, ensure nutritional security, utilize marketable surplus and ensures remunerative returns to the growers as well as processors.
The course on “Processing of Horticultural Crops” is of 1+2 credit hours representing 17 theory chapters and 34 practicals to be covered in a semester, thus giving greater emphasis on practical aspect of the subject. Important topics included in this course are importance and scope of fruit and vegetable preservation; food pipe line, principles and methods of preservation; unit operations in food processing; establishment of processing unit; preservation by using heat (canning and bottling), drying, chemicals, sugar ( like preparation of jams, jellies, marmalades, preserve, candies and crystallized fruits) , salt and vinegar (pickles, chutney and sauces) ,freezing etc. Methods for processing fruit juice and beverages; tomato and mushroom products; plantation crops etc. Spoilage of processed products; quality aspects of fresh and processed products and food laws and regulations including Food Safety and Standards Act. The practical part of course broadly include equipment & machinery used in food processing; analysis of fresh and processed products for various attributes ( viz total soluble solids; moisture; ash; pH; titratable acidity; sugars ; ascorbic acid; salt; sodium benzoate; sulphur dioxide etc ); canning of fruit and vegetables; cut out analysis of canned products; preparation of different products viz squash; cordial; ready to serve (RTS) drink/ sweetened juice; fruit nectar; jam; jellies; marmalade; fruit chutneys; preserve and candies;; sauces; pickle; drying and dehydration of fruits & vegetables; preparation of tomato based products like tomato juice, puree paste and tomato ketchup, freezing of fruits and vegetables and processing of plantation crops.