LOW COST PRESERVATION OF VEGETABLES

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| LOW COST PRESERVATION OF VEGETABLES     |                                |   |
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| DESCRIPTION                             |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower,   |                                |   |
| green papaya, bean, pea, carrot,        |                                |   |
| turnip, radish, pumpkin etc, can be     |                                |   |
| preserved by this technique up to a     |                                |   |
| period of about three months without    |                                |   |
| much alteration in the nutritive value  |                                |   |
| of the produce.                         |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| WORKING                                 |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Wash the vegetables thoroughly in       |                                |   |
| clean water. Remove blemishes, rotten   |                                |   |
| part, if any. Shred the vegetables,     |                                |   |
| preferably with a stainless steel       |                                |   |
| knife. Weigh 2 kg. finely (1/8" to      |                                |   |
| 1/16" thick) shredded cabbage and keep  |                                |   |
| it in a clean plastic sheet or          |                                |   |
| container and mix it with 2 kg          |                                |   |
| shredded vegetables (almost any type    |                                |   |
| of vegetables may be used except        |                                |   |
| potato, sweet potato etc.). The         |                                |   |
| proportion of cabbage may be more but   |                                |   |
| not less than 50%. Cabbage contains     |                                |   |
| desirable lactic acid bacteria and the  |                                |   |
| nutrients which help in fermentation.   |                                |   |
| (When cabbages are not available,       |                                |   |
| radishes or cucumbers may serve the     |                                |   |
| same purpose).                          |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Add 22.5 gm of salt (NaCI) per KB of    |                                |   |
| shredded vegetables. Mix thoroughly     |                                |   |
| for 3 to 5 minutes. Put the mixture is  |                                |   |
| plastic/earthen/wooden buckets. (Wax    |                                |   |
| lining is necessary for-earthen and     |                                |   |
| wooden vats). Press vegetable mix with  |                                |   |
| hand so that brine can come up at the   |                                |   |
| top of the vegetables.                  |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Cover the container with a plastic      |                                |   |
| sheet (200 gauge) which touches the     |                                |   |
| surface of vegetables to avoid contact  |                                |   |
| with air. Pour water (which must not    |                                |   |
| mix with the vegetables) at the top of  |                                |   |
| plastic sheet so that adequate          |                                |   |
| pressure on the vegetables is ensured.  |                                |   |
| Fasten the bucket with a thread around  |                                |   |
| the neck so that the entire system      |                                |   |
| becomes almost air-light.               |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| PRECAUTIONS                             |                                |   |
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| l                                       | Keep  the  bucket  in  a  safe |   |
|                                         | place. Don't  open  the  cover |   |
|                                         | of  the  bucket.  This    will |   |
|                                         | spoil the product.  Vegetables |   |
|                                         | can be kept in this way for  a |   |
|                                         | period of about three months.  |   |
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| l                                       | Once  it  is    opened,    the |   |
|                                         | materials should  be  consumed |   |
|                                         | on the same day. If it is  not |   |
|                                         | possible special  presentation |   |
|                                         | techniques    like        heat |   |
|                                         | processing         (bottling), |   |
|                                         | refrigeration or  addition  of |   |
|                                         | preservatives may  be  applied |   |
|                                         | to  preserve  it  for   longer |   |
|                                         | period    of    storage    for |   |
|                                         | marketing.                     |   |
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| l                                       | Vegetables   get    sour    by |   |
|                                         | fermentation. If  the  product |   |
|                                         | is too sour it may  be  washed |   |
|                                         | thoroughly in water/hot  water |   |
|                                         | to make it free from acid  and |   |
|                                         | salt. Boil the vegetables  and |   |
|                                         | cook  with  spices  to    suit |   |
|                                         | individual taste.              |   |
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| ADVANTAGE                               |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Fermented juice  in  the  vat  is  also |                                |   |
| nutritionally  sound.  This    has    a |                                |   |
| characteristic odour  and  is  rich  in |                                |   |
| vitamins B and C. The liquid  has  mild |                                |   |
| laxative effect. Heat the juice  for  a |                                |   |
| few  minutes  after  adding  a   little |                                |   |
| sugar and spices  and  use  as  a  soft |                                |   |
| drink. It is  also  a  good  appetizer. |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| SOURCE                                  |                                |   |
|                                         |                                |   |
| Department  of  Food  Technology    and |                                |   |
| Biochemical    Engineering,    Jadavpur |                                |   |
| University, Calcutta- 700 032           |                                |   |
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