Tamarind monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

3.6.4 Tamarind pulp powder
Tamarind pulp cannot be kept indefinitely because of browning in storage
due to phenolics and non enzymatic browning (Kotecha and Kadam, 2003
b). Here it is processed into pulp powder.
Tamarind Pulp Powder (TPP) is prepared by concentrating, drying and
milling the pulp into a powder form. It is one of the convenience food
products produced commercially by several manufacturers in India.
Depending on the manufacturing process, wide variations in the physicochemical
characteristics are reported (Table 3.2). Manjunath et al. (1991)
reported that on average the total solid content of tamarind pulp powder
varied from 18.6-25%, acidity from 8.7-11.1% with an average value of
9.9% (as tartaric acid). The moisture content ranges from 3.5-8.8%. Among
the minerals, the calcium and potassium contents were high and ranged from
74-143 mg and 23.8-27.7 mg. Starch is the major ingredient in tamarind pulp
powder (20-41%).
On a small scale, the fruit pulp is made into a refreshing drink after
dissolving in water and squeezing by hand. After removing the extraneous
matter, water is added to dilute the drink as required. Tamarind pulp is
enjoyed as a refreshing drink and beverage in most of the Southern and
Central American and Asian countries. Modern food technology has greatly
advanced the preservation and utilisation of tamarind fruit. Tamarind drinks
in polypacks are commercially available in Thailand, Indonesia, and many
countries of Africa. In Mexico and Guatemala, the drink is carbonated. It has
a high content of vitamin B (thiamine and niacin) as well as small amounts
of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and carotene (Sozolnoki, 1985). Tamarind fruit
juice is most valued for its ascorbic acid content, which is about 5.1-6.1
mg/100ml. Coates-Palgrave (1988) quotes a recipe of Dr WJ. Eggeling in
The Indigenous Trees of the Uganda Protectorate (Eggeling and Dale, 1951)
as follows; ‘To 60 grams of the pulp add one litre of cold water and a little
sugar, stir and leave in a cool place to mature for seven days’. Tamarind has
been used as a beverage in Africa for a long period on a small scale.
The extraction and processing techniques of the pulp for the preparation of
canned tamarind syrup, clarified tamarind juice and other soft drinks have
been reported by Bueso (1980). The pulping operation consists of breaking
the shells by hand and agitation in water to separate the pulp and the seeds.
The industrial method used in India for the manufacture of tamarind juice
concentrate is by extraction of all the solubles from the fruit pulp in boiling
water (Nagaraja et al., 1975). The recommended concentration of tamarind
pulp in syrup is between 20-24%, so as to produce a beverage with
distinctive flavour and acidity (Tarber, 1915; Bueso, 1980). Such syrup
contains 56.7% total solids, 43.8% reducing sugars and a total acidity of
1.11% as tartaric acid. A clarified tamarind juice is one in which the
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