Presents apricot fruit production technology, processing and value added products for employment and income generation in India and especially in Indian Cold Desert Area
APRICOT (Prunus armeniaca) PROCESSING AND VALUE ADDITION
1. APRICOT (Prunus armeniaca) PROCESSING AND VALUE
ADDITION
Dr Jai Singh (ARS)
M. Tech. Ph D
Former Director ICAR – CIPHET
Mob: 8958463808, R-Mail: jsingh.sre@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
The apricot (Prunus armeniaca ) is a deciduous stone fruit
having single seed covered by hard, thick seed coat ( shell ).
The seed or kernel and the seed coat are called a pit or stone.
In India most of the apricot is grown in Kashmir’s Ladakh
region , are Kargil, Lahaul ,Spiti of Himachal Pradesh, Kumaon
, Garhwal Hills in Uttar Pradesh. On a limited scale. it is also
grown in North-Eastern Hills regions of Arunachal Pradesh,
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim. Low chilling
cultivars are also grown north Indian plains. Apricot tree yields
30 – 40 kg fruit (500 number of fruits) and 12 - 22 tonnes ha. In
addition to fruit flesh , apricot is processed for drying, canning,
jam, juice, sauce, puree for baby food, wine, liquor, vinegar,
sweets and numerous other food , nutritional, medicinal and
industrial products. This presentation is based on the basis of
available literature at different sources.
Nutritional and Health Aspects: 100 grams of fresh apricots
gives 48 calories, 1.40 grams protein, 0.39 grams fat, 11.12
grams carbs, 2 grams fibre, and 9.20 grams of sugar., 12% of
2. vitamin C, 12% of vitamin A, 6% of potassium , calcium, and
antioxidants to get rid of toxins in body. It is good for diabetics,
promote eye health, boost skin health, gut health, protects
liver, treatmrnt of cancer symptoms, etc.
APRICOT HARVESTING AND FRUIT PICKING TOOLS:
Maturity - The exact yellowish-green color depends on the
cultivar. Apricots should be picked when still firm because of their high
bruising susceptibility when soft. Most apricot cultivars soften very fast
making them very susceptible to bruising and subsequent decay leading
to post harvest losses.. skin ground colour was a good indicator of physiological
maturity .
IMMATURE AND MATURED FRUIT
FRUIT
CATHER – TWISTER –
COLLECTOR WITH
TELISCOPIC HANDLE
FRUIT CATHER – TWISTER –
COLLECTOR BAG WITH
TELISCOPIC HANDLE
FRUIT CATHER – CUTTER –
COLLECTOR BAG WITH
TELISCOPIC HANDLE
FRUIT CATHER –
TWISTER – COLLECTOR
FRUIT CATHER – TWISTER –
COLLECTOR WITH
HAND PICKING FROM GROUND
OR FROM TREE USING LADDER
3. WITH TELISCOPIC
HANDLE
TELISCOPIC HANDLE PUTTING FRUIT IN FLEXIBLE
PIPE MOUTH TO SLIDE DOWN
GENTLY
PICKING FRUIT FROM
TREE USING LADDER FRUIT PICKING LADDER
HARVEST FRUIT BY HAND
TWISTING
DROPPING FRUIT ON
INVERTED UMBRELLA
LIKE TENT FRUIT PICKING
FRUIT PICKING HAND TOOLS
PORTABLE IN –
ORCHARD APRICOT
GRADER
APRICOT GRADER
FRESH FRUIT PACKAGING
FRESH FRUIT
PACKAGING
FRESH FRUIT PACKAGING PLASTIC CRATES FORFRESH
FRUIT PACKAGING
4. APRICOT PITTING: Wash the fruit thoroughly. Take serrated
knife and slice the fruit along seam. Then, twist the fruit open and gently
pick the pit out of the fruit.
Slice fruit along seam
Twist fruit
Pick up the pit
APRICOT DRYING: Drying is the oldest form of preservation known to
Ladakhis. Availability of abundant solar energy (ie, around 5400 Whr/m2 /day). It is
dried as whole fruit or as slip pits (in which the stone is removed). To get a dried
product with good golden yellow colour it is necessary to give the whole or half
apricot pieces pre treatments like exposing to sulphur dioxide fumes or dipping in
KMS solution. Such pre treatments help in checking brown discolouration of the
product during drying and also during storage. Drying on ground, Solar Tent Drier
and Improved solar drier takes 5 – 6, 3 – 5 and 2 – 3 days respectively.
DRYING ON GROUND
DRYING ON WIRE NET
DRYING ON POLY
COVERED CABS
5. DRYING IN TENT SOLAR
DRIER
SOLAR DRIER POLY SOLAR DRIER
SOLAR HEATED AIR
DRIER METALIC SOLAR DRIER
POLY HOUSE DRIER
TRADITIONAL DRYING IN
LEH
ICAR SOLAR TUNNEL DRIER
ICAR OSMOTIC
DEHYDRATION UNIT
DRIED APRICOT
GRADER
6. APRICOT PITS / STONE / SHELL BREAKING AND KERNEL
SEPARATION : Apricot seed has a hard casing like almond. It is
called pit or stone or shell. The kernel is inside the shell. The
apricot kernel is the seed from inside the apricot stone. It is obtained by
cracking open and removing the hard stone shell. The shell is crack
opened by a nut cracker or machines.
APRICOT SEED SHELL AND
KERNEL
APRICOT HARD SEED SHELL
CRACKER VICE TO CRACK
APRICOT SHELL
APRICOT KERNEL SEPARATION KERNEL SEPARATION
MACHINE
APRICOT KERNEL
SEPARATING MACHINE
APRICOT SHELL CRACKING
MACHINE
APRICOT KERNEL SERATING
MACHINE
APRICOT KERNEL
APRICOT KERNEL OIL EXTRACTION:
Apricotkernel contains around 50 % crude oil. The oil extracted from the
sweet kernel is used for edible purpose while that of bitter kernel has
religious, cosmetic and medicinal values. The oil is popular as body oil
7. or massage oil, is known to relieve backache and joints ache. In
traditional method the pits / stones / shells are softened by immersing in
water for 15 – 20 minutes, kernel s are separated by stone beating,
kernels are crushed in stone pestle and mortar, crushed kernels are
ground on stones, ground mass is heated at hand – touch temperature ,
the paste is doughed by sprinkling little water and compressed against
stone to ooze out oil. Now mostly mechanical expellers are in use.
APRICOT GHANI OIL
EXPELLER
APRICOT GHANI OIL
EXPELLER
APRICOT GHANI OIL
EXPELLER
APRICOT KERNEL OIL
APRICOT FLAVOR APRICOT COSMETICS
APRICOT FOOD PRODUCTS: Apricot fruit is consumed in fresh,
dried and frozen forms or used for preparation of jam, jellies,
marmalades, pulp, juices, nectars, extruded and dried products as well
as health and medicinal items. . There are hundreds of recipes. Apricot
kernels are considered to be an excellent source of quality oil, being
used for cooking purpose and production of cosmetic products,
8. DRIED APRICOT
JAM FREEZE DRIED SLICES
APRICOT KERNEL
APRICOT SPREAD
APRICOT TEA
FRUIT POWDER
APRICOT DESSERT
APRICOT LEATHER DRIED WHOLE
APRICOT
APRICOT JUICE
10. APRICOT PULP APRICOT DRIED
PUREE / PULP APRICOT ICE CREAM
SUN DRIED APRICOT
APRICOT JUICE APRICOT SQUASH
SMALL SCALE APRICOT
PROCESSING UNIT
SMALL SCALE
APRICOT
PROCESSING UNIT
THE END