14-05-2025
Wild mango makes it to vacuum-fried food industry
Wild mango has now made it to the vacuum-fried food industry.
Gokul Fruits Pvt. Ltd, a food processing unit located at Ulloor 74 village in the Kundapur taluk of Udupi district, has begun making vacuum-fried chips of two wild varieties of mangoes, in a value addition to the fruit.
The Director of the company, Rohith Kodgi, told The Hindu that two wild varieties of mango, which are locally called Malbar and Bhatkal, were used to make the chips.
'Its production is highly labour-intensive as there is no machine available for peeling mangos and it has to be done manually,' Mr. Kodgi said.
Referring to the yield of chips, he said it is only 10%. This means that 10 kilograms of chips can be produced from 100 kg of mangoes.
Mr. Kodgi said that the company recently released the product into the market in Bengaluru and Goa. He added that the Malbar and Bhatkal varieties are available for production for only about two months—from the third week of April to the first week of June. The chips can be stored and used in cold conditions for up to six months.
The Director said that the raw mango varieties used by the industry for making chips were otherwise being used for table purposes. Some traders sell them in the Mumbai market. 'Since we began purchasing the mangoes from them this year, the farmers are getting additional income,' Mr. Kodgi said. 'The two varieties [Malbar and Bhatkal] are free from worms. It is an added advantage for making the chips.'
Referring to the nutrient contents of chips (per 100 grams), he said that it has 54.64 grams of carbohydrates, 40.3 grams of total fat, 5.6 grams of crude fibre, 1.38 grams of total protein and 586.35 (kcal) energy.
He said that some hybrid varieties of mango can be used for making vacuum-fried chips. Since those mangos are costly, their production cost will also be higher.
Gokul Fruits Pvt. Ltd. began making vacuum-fired chips of jackfruit in 2006. 'Now we make between 8,000 kg and 10,000 kg of jackfruit chips per season,' Mr. Kodgi said.
