Executive Summary : | India is blessed with a wide range of flora and more than half of them are still under-utilized. Pyrus pashia is a cheaper and highly nutritious underutilized fruit crop belonging to the Rosaceae family. Pyrus pashia is mostly cultivated in Asia including China, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand and Afghanistan. In India, it's mostly grown in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Himachal Pradesh (HP). Locally, it is recognized by several names, including Kainth, Shegal, Indian pear, Wild Himalayan pear, Melu, and Mehal. Wild Himalayan pear/Kainth has a variety of therapeutic and medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous and antioxidant activity due to the presence of phenolic and triterpenoids compounds. Kainth fruits are edible and consumed either raw or ripened by people of all age groups. When ripe, they are very soft, grainy, and quite astringent. Because they are soft, they are highly perishable and cannot be transported, that limiting the possibility of their being marketed as fresh fruits. They are, however, delicious even after drying. Kainth fruit is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and dietary fibre. It is low in fat and contains many vitamins and minerals namely beta-carotene, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and iron. The dried pulp contains 15% citric acid. The pulp is rich in alkaloids and contains a moderate amount of saponins. Alkaloids are spasmolytic and anaesthetic agents, whereas saponins assist to improve the immune system, lower cholesterol levels, and minimize the risk of intestinal cancer. So, proposed research project aims to utilize this crop to increase the livelihood of rural population by providing them the training to develop food products using the Kainth fruits. Technology will be developed to dehydrate the Kainth for better self-life and later use in value added products for nutrition enhancement. The fruit will be used for preparation of products such as jam, jelly, candy, squash etc. The physico chemical, nutritional and functional characterization will be done for Kainth fruits and developed products. the developed technology will be disseminated among the end user through training programs. Technology transfer will be carried out with industry for utilizing the Kainth fruits, so that this crop can also be commercialized. |