Status of post harvest technology of aonla in india-a review

Abstract

Aonla is an important fruit crop indigenous to Indian sub-continent, which can be grown successfully in dry and neglected regions. The area under aonla has been expanding rapidly in the last couple of years. The growing popularity for alternate medicines, health foods and herbal products are enhancing the requirement for aonla fruit. The raw fruit, due to its high acidic nature and astringent taste, is unacceptable to consumers. The chemical composition of aonla fruits is influenced by environmental factors. Aonla fruit is highly nutritive with a great medicinal use and the richest source of vitamin C. The pulp of fresh fruit contains 200-900 mg of vitamin C. As aonla fruits are highly perishable in nature, its storage is very limited. The main objective of the review is to highlight its uses, existing processing methods and their limitations and further propose to develop pilot plant for aonla processing. © 2008 Academic Journals Inc.