Sand pear vinegar to augment Himachal farmers’ income

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, March 28

Farmers of the state would now be able to get handsome returns on sand pear or Asian pear, popularly known as ‘Patharnakh’ in North India, which finds a few takers in the market. Scientists of Department of Food Science and Technology at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, have standardised the technology to develop vinegar from this fruit.

The potential of sand pear, which can be processed into a range of products especially vinegar, was realised by the university scientists who took up this task. Associate Professor Dr Rakesh Sharma and scholars of the department initiated the process to standardise this process. They developed normal and herbal sand pear vinegar by concocting lime juice, honey and other herbs. The herbal vinegar had higher sensorial scores as well as higher antioxidants as compared to apple cider vinegar.

Powerhouse of nutrients

The fruit has abundant nutritional components such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as bioactive elements like plant sterols and carotenoids. The medicinal and health-promoting properties are attributed to these bioactive compounds present in it. —Dr Rajesh Sharma, Associate professor

This research was supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DEST), Shimla. Under this project work on the development of technology for other value-added products such as blended functional beverages, candies, chips and intermediate moisture food products was also carried out.

“Keeping in mind the reasons for undermined utilisation of sand pear and the lack of exploitation of the health benefits associated with it, the production of vinegar from the fruit is feasible and holds great market potential considering the global market trend towards therapeutic importance of vinegars. The systematic work was carried out by the scientists of the Department to optimise the process of the production of Sand pear vinegar,” stated Professor Rajeshwar Chandel, university’s Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Chandel added that the production of a valuable commodity like vinegar would benefit farmers, who otherwise get lower prices for the crop.

“The fruit has abundant nutritional components such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as bioactive elements like plant sterols and carotenoids. The medicinal and health-promoting properties are attributed to these bioactive compounds present in it,” said Dr Sharma.

“Vinegar is a widely consumed food ingredient and is primarily used to enhance flavour and to preserve foods. Brewed vinegar has been used as a medicine, pickling agent and can be directly consumed in a diluted form as a beverage. It also has numerous health benefits, including aiding in digestion, lowering blood sugar levels and reducing cholesterol levels owing to a variety of beneficial compounds, such as antioxidants, amino acids and vitamins found in natural vinegar,” said Dr Sanjeev Chauhan, Director Research of the university.

Due to its wider climatic adaptability, sand pear is widely found in both temperate and sub-tropical regions .In Himachal, it is found in Mandi, Solan, Sirmour, Shimla, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Chamba and Kangra districts. The fruit has a somewhat rough texture in comparison to European pears due to the stone cells present in it and hence the name ‘Patharnakh’.