Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

as a stabiliser in ice cream, mayonnaise and cheese and as an ingredient or
agent in a number of pharmaceutical products (Morton, 1987). Presently, it
is used in food and in industrial applications. Tamarind jellose has not been
fully exploited, but due to its abundance and cheapness, seed jellose has
great potential for replacing fruit pectins in many industries.
The presence of tannins and other colouring matter in the testa make the
whole seed unsuitable for human consumption. Therefore, the testa has to be
separated from the kernels by boiling or roasting. Otherwise, such side
effects as depression, constipation and gastro-intestinal disorders may result
(Anon, 1976). In Gambia, seeds are pounded and eaten in times of famine.
In India, seed kernels are used in times of food scarcity in the districts of
Chennai, Andhra and Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere, either alone or mixed
with cereal flours (Shankaracharya, 1998). The seeds are also eaten after
removal of the testa after roasting or boiling. In India, village women roast
the seeds and chew them instead of betel nut (FAO, 1988). The roasted seeds
are claimed to be superior for to peanuts in flavour (Pratt and del Rosario,
1913) and are also used as a substitute or adulterant to coffee. Sometimes
they are made into flour for bread, Indian chapattis and cake making
(Purseglove, 1987).
The seed is also used in the vegetable and food processing industries.
Tamarind xyloglucan, commonly known as ‘tamarind gum’, is the major
component of TKP. It forms a stiff gel and is used for thickening, stabilising
and gelling in food. It is commercially available as a food additive for
improving the viscosity and texture of processed foods (Sone and Sato,
1994). Bhattacharyya et al. (1994) reported that the incorporation of TKP
decreased the specific volume and springiness of bread, in contrast to
increased hardness, while cohesiveness remained unaffected. Incorporation
of TKP also affects the hardness, crispness and thickness of biscuits, while
the flavour and taste were unaffected. In both bread and biscuits the
incorporation of TKP up to 15% was acceptable. Low cost TKP, with a jelly
grade of 80 and 85, could be used as a substitute for costly pectin for making
jellies, jams and marmalades.
Seeds give an amber coloured oil, free of smell and sweet to taste, which
resembles linseed oil. It could be used for making varnishes, paints and
burning in oil lamps (Watt, 1893). In Bengal, the oil is used for making
varnish to paint idols (Rama Rao, 1975; Anon, 1976) and light lamps (Lewis
and Neelakantan, 1964 a; Salim et al., 1998). The oil is said to be palatable
and of culinary quality (Morton, 1987).
Tamarind seed has shown a relatively high level of in vitro protein
digestibility. The proteins have a favourable amino acid composition and
could supplement cereals and legumes poor in methionine and cystine. They
also contain small amounts of anti-nutritional factors (tannins, phytic acid,
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