Studies on Wines and Fuel Alcohol Production

By Nandita Gupta

THESIS

Submitted to the Punjab Agricultural University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MICROBIOLOGY.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Devotees of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram
• Release date: May 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9789395766418

Nandita Gupta

Nandita is an avid home-maker and helps manage a school for the under-privileged.https://advaita56.in/

Book preview

Chapter I – INTRODUCTION

The application of improved agricultural practices and

development of new fruit varieties has led to an increase in the fruit production in the country during the last decade. India is one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world with an annual production of about 70 million tons. Less than two lakh tons of fruits and vegetables are utilized for processing and preservation, Approximately 15 million tons of horticultural produce, equivalent of its market cost of Rs 3,000 crores, goes down the drain every year in our country. This is because efforts have not been directed seriously to control the fruit and vegetable wastage. In Punjab state 25-30% of fruits and 15-40% of vegetables are wasted. The fruit production in this state is likely to be doubled by 1995 as per the estimates of the Johl’s Committee on the Diversification of Agriculture.

The recent increase in the anticipated improvement in the fruit production in the coming years have created post-harvest problems for the progressive fruit growers in the country and the Punjab in particular. Mango is the first most important fruit of Punjab state. It is grown on 26,340 acres producing 65,850 tons of fruits annually. The Dussehri variety of Mango ripens in late June and during this season it becomes practically inconvenient for the fruit growers to store the harvest at a very high temperature (40 ±2 °C or above). They have to store their produce in cold storages for sale during the off-season or transport to other places or dispose off the produce at throw-away prices in the local market. Though the cold storages have played a significant role in the preservation of fruits but this facility is inadequate to meet the requirements of the farmers. Transportation and improper handling also result in substandard fruits. Good quality fruits are accepted for table purposes whereas discolored, injured, immature and bird-eaten fruits (Figure 1-4) have no commercial value. Such fruits are either sold at a very low price or disposed off, on land in open, resulting in environmental pollution. All these practices mean incurring additional capital and consequently economic losses to the progressive fruit growers.

Although horticulture has ushered in an economic boom in Punjab state, yet it has not so far received adequate attention to process substandard or waste fruits. In the absence of this, the farmers continue to have unremunerative prices. The processing of surplus fruits into commercially acceptable products like juice, jams, jelly, etc. seem to be an answer to the post-harvest problems of the fruit growers, but the growth of the fruit processing industries in the country and in Punjab, in particular, is very limited due to some technical and