With onions making headlines owing to high price, the agriculture scientists are experimenting with the technology that can not only boost production but also enable the long-term storage for consumption throughout the year.
Head of the department at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Dr. Poonam A Sachdev says onion is a perishable commodity and severe weather conditions in some states have resulted in significant rise in onion prices. Dr. Poonam said that they have the technology to prepare dehydrated onion flakes that have a shelf life of twelve months and when reconstituted preserve the fresh-like flavor. Further it can be used in curried preparations and for making onion based snacks.
Dr. Poonam added that “Onions can be processed into ready-to-use onion puree & paste that can be stored for more than 6 months at room temperature. These products provide convenience to the customers by restricting the kitchen work & time involved in the preparation of the product. Onion paste as well as puree can be used in the preparation of curried vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes,”
She said, the processed onion products can be made when the onions are cheap & utilized in the off-season when the prices are high.
Dr. Poonam told that the department is stressing on low-cost technologies that can be adopted at farm gate & household level. Punjab Agricultural University has shared the technology of onion paste as well as puree with the public & private sector and also provided incubational facilities for preparing the onion products.
To know more about the technology, contact Punjab Agricultural University at - 0161 240 1960
