Vol. 7, Issue 6 (2018)

Author(s):
Sushmita Khatoniar and Mridula Saikia Barooah

Abstract:
India is blessed with an array of leafy vegetables of which some are cultivated, many are gathered. Green leafy vegetables represent an excellent component of the habitual diet in the tropical and temperate countries like India. They add variety to a monotonous diet, have an alternative taste, attractive in appearance and contribute a pleasing aroma and a natural colour. Now a days, due to urbanization and changes in life style, the consumption of green leafy vegetables is in decreasing manner. These are also highly perishable with shelf-life of only few days owing to higher amount of moisture due to which around 30 per cent of the produce gets rotten and spoilt, becomes inedible and thus rendering wastage. This calls for preservation and processing to prevent losses as well as make them available in the lean season at remunerative prices. Dehydration is considered to be an inexpensive preservation technique. In the present study, six different greens with good mineral profile, namely Amaranthus viridis, Hedyotis corymbosa, Chenopodium ambrosioides Houttuniya cordata, Rumex vesicarius and Spinacia oleracea were selected for dehydration using four different methods. Three different packaging materials were also used to study the shelf life of the dehydrated products in terms of moisture content, rehydration ratio and non-enzymatic browning. Among the drying methods, cabinet drying retained better quality of dehydrated greens. Shelf life study revealed that these greens can be easily stored upto 6 months in ambient temperature and HDPE pouches resulted as the best packaging materials than PP pouches and plastic bottles. These greens are easily grown in this region and can be used for drying commercially to increase their availability and shelf life, thus facilitating marketing with minimum facilities.