Standardization of jackfruit pickle based on traditional methods practiced by people of Garo Hills, Meghalaya

Abstract

Jackfruit, which is nutritionally rich, is readily available in Garo Hills but is still underutilized and goes to waste every year. Preparation of pickle can make the fruit available throughout the year as well as minimise wastage. A study was conducted during 2018-19 in the Department of Horticulture, North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campusto prepare jackfruit pickles using about 75 and 90 days old tender green jackfruits. Three methods were used in the preparation of pickles viz., traditional method (boiling the cut fruit pieces in water to soften them), modified method 1 (steam-heating the pieces in an autoclave for softening the pieces) and modified method 2 (sun-drying the fruit pieces for about 2 hours). Following these three methods, two recipe formulations were used for preparation of pickles, which were fixed by making slight modification to the traditional recipe. Storage studies were conducted of the prepared pickles at a bimonthly interval to study the changes in organoleptic properties and biochemical components. It was found that pickles made from tender jackfruit of about 75-90 days old using modified method 1 with either modified recipe 1 or modified recipe 2, were found to be best in terms of organoleptic properties, overall acceptability and consumer preference. Standardising the method with slight modification to the traditional unscientific method will help utilise the fruits to generate income, create employment as well as provide healthy dietary alternative to the common people.