Dry Fruits Processing
(Cashew, Almond, Walnut, Raisins (Kishmish/Munnakka) and Figs)
Cashew nuts are a popular snack and food source. Cashews, unlike other oily tree nuts, contain starch to about 10% of their weight. This makes them more effective than other nuts in thickening water-based dishes such as soups, meat stews, and some Indian milk-based desserts. The almond fruit measures 3.5–6 cm (1–2 in) long. In botanical terms, it is not a nut, but a drupe. The outer covering or exocarp, fleshy in other members of Prunus such as the plum and cherry, is instead a thick, leathery, grey-green coat (with a downy exterior), called the hull. A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zeal and Australia, the word "raisin" is reserved for the dark-colored dried large grape, with "sultana" being a golden-colored dried grape, and "currant" being a dried small Black Corinth seedless grape. Figs are a delicious fruit like treat and popularly known as “Anjeer” in India. Fig fruit is one of the ancient fruits in the world. The fig fruit is unique, unlike most ‘fruits’ in which the structure is matured ovary tissue, and the fig’s edible structure is actually a stem tissue. Walnuts are rich source of a number of important nutrients that have a very positive effect on the human health. The nut length was found in the range of 35.17-41.37 mm, nut diameter (31.72 mm-34.32 mm), Nut thickness (32.21-35.10 mm), nut weight (10.30 g-19.22 g).
Nuts and dried fruits in India offer a unique opportunity to meet the needs of a consumer who is looking to adopt a new wellness life style without having to forego traditional values -a consumer who is increasingly concerned with health but is not willing to compromise on taste. The nut and dried fruit industry in India is currently pegged at INR 15,000 crores (~ USD 2 billion) and is estimated to grow to INR 30,000 crores (~ USD 4 billion) by 2020, according to the Chairman of Royal Dried Fruits Range, a city-based dried fruits retailer. This facilitates the development of new technologies and ensures a high quality product.
Few Indian major players are as under
· Ashoka Estate Developers Pvt. Ltd.
· Goa Forest Development Corpn. Ltd.
· Infragro Industries Ltd.
· Kerala State Cashew Devp. Corpn. Ltd.
· Kore Foods Ltd.
· Kreem Foods Pvt. Ltd.
· Padmavathi Cashews & Coffee Ltd.
