Aonla or Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) belongs to family Euphorbiaceae. It is one of the important indigenous fruits of Indian subcontinent. The fruit has cooling, refrigerant, diuretic and laxative property hence used for treating chronic dysentery, bronchitis, diabetes, fever, diarrhoea, jaundice & coughs etc. It is highly nutritive and one of the richest source of ascorbic acid. It contains 500-1500 mg of ascorbic acid per 100g of pulp. The gallic acid present in aonla fruit has antioxidant properties. This fruit is extensively used in the preparation of Ayurvedic and Unani medicines. It is one of the three constituents of the famous ayurvedic preparation, triphala, which is prescribed in many digestive disorders. Owing to its nutritive and miraculous medicinal properties, this fruit has acquired wide popularity.
Moving forward from the traditional value added products like aonla sauce, jams, murabba, dry flakes and so on, some non traditional new products have been developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (CISH,Lucknow)
Recently developed diversified products
Aonla segments in syrup
A new diversified value added product of aonla that is gaining popularity is aonla segments in syrup.
It is prepared by blanching the segments and then separating them and then dipping them in sugar syrup successively (50-70°B) containing citric acid and preservatives.
These aonla segments contain 200 mg of ascorbic acid per 100gm of the product which is much higher than murabba.
Aonla biscuits
The bakery products available commercially are made from all purpose flour which do not contain any fibre despite the fact that they are the favourite snack of children.
A much healthier option can be aonla biscuits. It has been developed by incorporation of aonla pomace (a by product generated during aonla juice processing) as one of the ingredients. The dietary fibre content of the finished product is high while vitamin C and antioxidant concentrations are 15.6mg per 100gm and 0.25g per cent respectively. These aonla biscuits have a shelf life of 6 months.
The biscuits processed with the invented method by CISH, Lucknow can be supplemented as vitamin C and antioxidant fortified diet for children and adults. The fibre enriched biscuits may be helpful in curing the constipation and other ailments related to fast food habits of the present time. Moreover it would also help in much needed utilization of aonla processing waste.
Aonla Cider
Aonla or Indian Gooseberry is known for its therapeutic properties. It is a natural source of ascorbic acid and polyphenols.
Aonla fruits are less preferred for fresh consumption due to acidic taste and hence processed for preparation of number of products. However fermented products have not been prepared from aonla yet.
Cider is a beverage made wholly or partly from the fermented juice of apples, pear, peach or raspberries. Aonla cider is a new refreshing drink which contains a mere 4% alcohol and hence may be promoted as a health drink. Polyphenols and acid required in moderate amount for cider preparation is present in ample amount in aonla.
In this process the aonla juice is fermented with saccharomyces species siphoned, matured and bottled to get a sweet fermented drink of Aonla. This drink has a shelf life of one year and its taste improves further during storage.
With the ever increasing aonla production every year, these newly developed value added products of aonla can be promoted as nutritional product both in national and international markets.
Source: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (CISH, Lucknow, U.P.)
