Why process tamarind fruits? ⇒ The fruit is high in protein, carbohydrate, potas- sium, phosphorus and calcium and is a source of iron, vitamin C, thiamine and niacin ⇒ Processing increases the shelf-life of the fruit ⇒ Processing adds value and increases income Tamarind (Tamarindus indica): Processing and Product Information Packaging and Storage Pack in well-sealed clean glass or plastic bottles and store in a dark, cool place. Advantages Easily dispersible in water, and can be used for many pur- poses, such as in ketchups, sauces, soft drinks, dairy products and as a souring agent. Packaging and Storage Store in airtight plas- tic or glass bottles or cans, in the dark, for over a year. Jam/jelly Candy Fruit leather Juice/nectar Pickles/chutney Paste/concentrate Powder concentrate Fruit-puree/pulp Potential processed products Packaging and Storage Seal in polythene bags or pack in tightly capped, clean glass or plastic jars/bottles. Store in a cool, dark place for several months. Add nuts, spices and other flavourings (optional) Dry Spread in a thin layer on greased paper Prepare either: - Citric acid or lemon juice dip - Sulphite dip: dissolve 6 g metabisulphite in 10 l of water Puree pulp and heat to 90ºC to inactive enzymes Adjust the sweetness and acidity by adding sugar and citric acid or lemon juice Tamarind pulp Dip in acid or sulphite Packaging and Storage Pack rolls of leather, interleaved with greaseproof paper in mois- ture-proof, heat-sealed bags. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 9 months. How to store fresh pods or pulp? ⇒ Pods: - for several weeks at 20ºC ⇒ Pulp: - for 4-6 months below 10ºC in a dry place by packing in high density polythene - for about one year when stored mixed with salt - for a longer period after drying or steaming How to process tamarind fruits? 1. Pre-processing: De-hulling and cleaning Sun dry or use small- scale dehydrators Dried pods Crack and separate pulp and fibres from the broken shells Mature pods Cleaning to remove the seeds Pulp Fresh fruits Mix with sugar (1:1), salt and spices Cook for 20 min while stirring Cook for 20 min while stirring Pour into bottles while hot Tamarind pickle Pour into bottles while hot Mix with salt and spices Tamarind pulp Grind and mix spices: coriander, cumin, cardamom, chillies, cloves, cinnamon, caraway seeds, mustard oil and black pepper Tamarind chutney 2. Processing from the pulp Pour into bottles and seal Heat pasteurise in bottles Cool rapidly to room temperature in cold water Tamarind pulp Boil in water Filter juice to remove pieces of pulp Pickles + Chutney Concen- trate Juice Leather Tamarind pulp Soak in water and boil Separate fine pulpy matter using a filter Press the residue Mix this matter with the extract Concentrate the filtered extract by evaporation under vacuum Fill containers, cool and seal Fruits for the Future This publication is an output from a research project funded by the United Kingdom Department of International Development for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of DFID [R8399 Forestry Research Programme]. Prepared and published by the International Centre for Underutilised Crops (ICUC), School for Civil Engineering and the Environ- ment, University of Southampton. Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. Tel: +44-23-80594229 Fax: +44-23-80677519 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.civil.soton.ac.uk/icuc © 2004 International Centre for Underutilised Crops, UK References: Gunasena, H.P.M. and Hughes, A. (2000) Tamarind. Tamarindus indica L. Fruits for the Future 1. Editors: A. Hughes, N. Haq and R.W. Smith. ICUC, Southampton, UK. ICUC (2001) Tamarind. Tamarindus indica L. Fruits for the Future 1. Field manual for extension workers. ICUC, Southampton, UK. Morton, J. (1987) Tamarind (Tamarindus indica). In: Fruits of warm climates. Editor: J.F. Morton, Miami, Florida, USA: 115-121. Roy, S.K. and Joshi, G.D. (1995) Minor fruits – Tropical. In: Handbook of fruit science and technology. Production, composition, storage and processing. Editors: D.K. Salunkhe and S.S. Kadam. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, USA: 563-591. Yahia, E.M. (2002) Tamarind. In: The commercial storage of fruits, vegetables, and florist and nursery stocks. Agricultural Hand- book Number 66. Editors: K.C. Gross, C.Y. Wang and M. Saltveit. http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org Please contact ICUC for further references.