Juice blends - A way of utilization of underutilized fruits

Abstract

The post-harvest shelf-life of maximum of fruits is very limited due to their\rperishable nature. In India more then 20-22 per cent of fruits are spoiled before utilization.\rDespite being the world’s second largest producer of fruits, in India only 4 per cent of the total\rfruits produced are processed. Maximum amounts of fruit juices turn bitter after extraction due\rto conversion of chemical compounds. In spite of being under-utilized, the utilization of highly\rnutritive fruits and vegetables is very limited due to high acidity, astringency, bitterness and\rsome other factors. While improving flavour, palatability and nutritive and medicinal value of\rvarious fruit juices such as aonla, mango, jackfruit, guava and jamun, used for juice blending.\rAll these natural products are valued very highly for their refreshing juice, nutritional value,\rpleasant flavour and medicinal properties. Fruits are also a rich source of sugars, vitamins and\rminerals. However, some fruits have an off flavour and bitterness although they are an excellent\rsource of vitamins, enzymes, and minerals. Therefore, blending of two or more fruit juices for\rthe preparation of nutritive ready-to-serve (RTS), beverages is thought to be a convenient and\reconomic alternative for utilization of these fruits. Moreover, one could think of a new product\rdevelopment through blending in the form of a natural health drink, which may also serve as an\rappetizer. The present investigation focuses on the blending of fruits, under-utilized fruits in\rappropriate proportions for the preparation of natural fruit based nutritive beverages.