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OPTIMIZATION OF POST-HARVEST TREATMENTS TO EXTEND THE SHELF-LIFE OF WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOM (Agaricus bisporus) View project
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Abstract— Ginger is an important spice crop and India is Ginger is a medicinal plant that has been widely used all
one of the leading producer and exporter of ginger in the over the world, since antiquity, for a wide array of unrelated
world. Ginger is widely used around the world in food as a ailments including arthritis, cramps, rheumatism, sprains,
spice both in fresh and dried form which adds flavour to the sore throats, muscular aches, pains, constipation, vomiting,
meal by creating spicy pungent taste. The chemical hypertension, indigestion, dementia, fever and infectious
components of the ginger rhizome vary considerably diseases (Ali et al. 2008). Ginger has direct anti-microbial
depending on the location of cultivation and postharvest activity and thus can be used in treatment of bacterial
treatments. Ginger contains polyphenol compounds such as infections (Tan & Vanitha, 2004). Ginger belongs to
gingerol and its derivatives like zingiberone, bisabolene, Zingiberaceae family and an English botanist William
camphene, geranial, linalool, borneol and oleoresin Roscoe (1753-1831) gave this plant the name Zingiber
(combination of volatile oils and resin) that accounts for its officinale in the year 1807. The name of the genus Zingiber
characteristic aroma and therapeutic properties. Fresh derives from a Sanskrit word denoting “horn shaped” in
ginger are perishable in nature and are spoiled due to reference to the protusions on the rhizomes (Ghosh et al,
improper handling, growth of spoilage microorganisms, 2011). It is an oldest rhizome widely domesticated as a
susceptibility to rhizome rot, wilting and sprouting, action spice where the edible part is the swollen underground stem
of naturally occurring enzymes, chemical reactions and or rhizome. The Zingiberaceous plants have strong aromatic
structural changes during storage. Keeping in mind the low and medicinal properties and are characterized by their
shelf-life of fresh ginger and inadequate facility for their tuberous or non-tuberous rhizomes (Chen et al. 2008).
modern storage leading to distress sale, value addition Ginger is valued as a spice because of its aroma and
could be a viable alternative which will fetch remunerative pungency (Paull et al. 1988) and has been used through ages
price to the growers. The present scenario, nutritional in almost all systems of medicine against many maladies
importance, postharvest management, value added products due to its medicinal properties (Kubra and Rao 2012).
of ginger have been discussed in detail in the review. Despite of its use as flavoring agent, ginger is also
Keywords— Ginger, novel products, scenario, appetized appreciated in ayurvedic, tibbe-e-unani (Srivastava and
flakes, bars, salted ginger, crystallized ginger, quality, Mustafa 1989), allopathic (Fessenden et al. 2001),
storage, value added products. aromapethy (Shelly et al. 2004) and household medicines
(Sloand and Vessey 2001). Ginger rhizome can be
I. INTRODUCTION employed in the form of fresh paste, ginger tea (flavoring),
Ginger originated from India from where it was introduced dried powder and preserved slices (El-Ghorab et al., 2010).
to Africa and Caribbean, however no definite information Ginger can be utilized in different commercial products like
on the primary centre of domestication of ginger is available cookies, candy, teas, tinctures, sodas, jam, beer, capsule and
(Prabhakaran, 2013). It is now cultivated throughout the syrup (Maxwell, 2008). Ginger bread, confectionery, ginger
humid tropics (Meadows, 1998) and is a most widely used ale, curry powders, certain curried meats, table sauces, in
spice worldwide. Ginger is a monocotyledonous perennial pickling and in the manufacture of certain soft drinks like
herb with robust, heavily branched rhizomes called hands or cordials, ginger cocktail, carbonated drinks, etc are some of
laces. India is the largest producer of ginger and the annual the value added products of ginger. Ginger is also used for
production is around 2, 63,170 tonnes from an area of about the extraction of ginger oil, oleoresin, essences, tinctures etc
77,610 hectares, contributing approximately 30 to 40% of (Pruthi, 1998).
the world production (Ravindran and Nirmal, 2005).