Preservation is the technique of utilizing perishable produce by extending storage life without deterioration in edible quality for its future use. Nowadays, in horticulture value addition has been a buzzword. It explains the technique to make the product more valuable in terms of economic gain.
Value addition by processing horticulture products like fruits & vegetables offers the best opportunity to tap the marketing potential of horticultural crops.
Preservation & processing of horticulture produce has multiple objectives, of which extending the consumption period, value addition & the possibility of diversification to a range of products suiting to consumer’s preference are the prime ones. The basic preserving processes are canning, freezing, dehydration, salting, pickling freeze drying.
The food preservation & processing industry has now become more of a necessity than being luxury. It has an important role in the conservation & better utilization of fruits & vegetables. In order to avoid glut &utilize the surplus during the season, it is necessary to employ modern methods to extend storage life for better distribution & also processing techniques to preserve them for utilization in the off-season on both large scale & small scales.
