Fruits and vegetables are an important component to meet the nutritional requirements of human beings. These not only meet the quantitative needs but also supply vitamins and minerals which improve the quality of the diet and maintain health. Fruits and vegetables are available as seasonal surplus in production areas and large quantities of it is wasted due to the absence of facilities and know-how for proper storage, transportation, and handling, distribution, processing and marketing.
Preservation of food in common salt, oil or vinegar is known as pickling and has been in practice from time immemorial in our country. It is one of the most ancient methods of preserving fruits and vegetables, if these preservatives are used in proper proportions the pickles can be retained for 10-15 years without spoilage. Pickles are good appetizers and add to the palatability of a meal. They stimulate the flow of gastric juice and thus help in digestion. Now-a-days pickles are prepared with a mixture of salt, oil, vinegar and spices.
Various types of pickle products can be made depending on the ingredients used and the methods of preparation. There are four general classes:
• Brined Pickles or Fermented Pickles go through a curing process in a brine (salt and water) solution for one or more weeks. Curing changes the color, flavor and texture of the product. If the product is a fermented one, the lactic acid produced during the fermentation helps preserve the product. In brined products that are cured but not completely fermented, acid in the form of vinegar is added later to preserve the food.
• Fresh Pack or Quick Process Pickles are covered with boiling hot vinegar, spices and seasonings. Sometimes, the product is brined for several hours and then drained, before being covered with pickling liquid. These are easy to prepare and have a tart flavor. Fresh pack or quick pickles have a better flavor if allowed to stand for several weeks after they are sealed.
• Fruit Pickles are prepared from whole or sliced fruits and simmered in spicy, sweet-sour syrup.
• Relishes are made from chopped fruits and vegetables cooked in a spiced vinegar solution.
Preparation of pickles from locally available fruits/vegetables
Nagaland is one of the seven sister states in the North Eastern Region of India. This region is blessed with variety of indigenous fruits and vegetables which grow throughout the year. Fruits like mango, banana, peach, plum, passion fruit, guava, litchi, papaya, pear etc and vegetables of all kinds including green leafy vegetables and bamboo shoots are abundantly available. Horticultural crops account for about 16 percent of the total cultivable area in the state. However, the productivities of many fruits and vegetables are far below the national average. Moreover, due to lack of proper post harvest management and value addition system, about 25-40 percent of post harvest losses are observed. Main objective of fruit and vegetable pickling is to avoid wastage of horticultural produces and to supply wholesome, safe, nutritious and acceptable food to consumers throughout the year.
Here is the recipe formulated by the authors for pickle preparation from locally available fruits and vegetables.
Method:
1. Wash the king chilli with clean water before removing the stems.
2. Dry the cleaned chillies in the sun thoroughly and remove the stems
3. Cut into 2-3 pieces.
4. If required cut the ginger and garlic into small pieces and sundry it properly.
5. Roast the mustard seeds and panch puran separately in low heat and grind them coarsely.
6. Mix all the above mentioned ingredients with the king chilli.
7. Pack in clean, dry jars.
8. Sun cook the pickle for about a week before consumption.
Problems in pickle making:
1. Bitter taste: use of strong vinegar or excess spice or prolonged cooking of spices imparts a bitter taste to the pickle.
2. Dull and faded product: this is due to use of inferior quality materials or insufficient curing
3. Shriveling: it occurs when vegetables (e.g cucumber) are placed directly in a very strong solution of salt, sugar or vinegar hence a dilute solution should be used initially and its strength gradually increased.
4. Scum formation: when vegetables are cured in brine, a white scum always forms on the surface due to the growth of wild yeast. This delays the formation of lactic acid and also helps the growth of putrefactive bacteria which cause softness and slipperiness. Hence it is advisable to remove scum as soon as it is formed. Addition of 1 % acetic acid helps to prevent the growth of wild yeast in brine, without affecting lactic acid formation.
5. Softness and slipperiness: this very common problem is due to inadequate covering with brine or the use of weak brine. The problem can be solved by using a brine of proper strength and keeping the pickles well below the surface of the brine.
6. Cloudiness: when the structure of the vegetable used in pickling e.g onion, is such that the acetic acid (vinegar) cannot penetrate deep enough into its tissues to inhibit the activity of bacteria and other micro organisms present in them, fermentation starts from inside the tissues, rendering the vinegar cloudy. This microbial activity can only be checked by proper brining. Cloudiness may also be caused by use of inferior quality vinegar or chemical reaction between vinegar and minerals.
7. Blackening: it is due to the iron in the brine or in the process equipment reacting with the ingredients used in pickling. Certain micro organisms also cause blackening.
Mrs V. Kenny Rhetso1 and Vinika K. Aomi2
1. SMS (Home- Science), KVK Dimapur
2. JRF (DBT), ICAR Nagaland Centre
***More recipe of pickle making in the coming issue
