BOTTLE GOURD PROCESSING FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AREAS

1. BOTTLE GOURD PROCESSING FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS
AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Dr Jai Singh (ARS)
M. Tech. Ph D
Former Director ICAR - CIPHET
ABSTRACT
Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol) Standl), reservoir of vital nutrients, being
highly perishable, exhibits unacceptable level of wastage and value loss ( 20 – 40
%.) . India produced 20.83 lakh tonnes from 1.31 lakh ha excluding back yard cultivation
(MOA, GOI 2015 – 16). It can give gross income to farmer up to Rs 3.42 lakh / ha (ISSN
2231-2137: VOL. 7: ISSUE: 1-2017) . Bottle gourd plays an important significant role in
human nutrition for not only providing essential nutrients but also providing
compounds related to health promotion and disease prevention. It is the cheapest
high valued source of vitamins, minerals, and nutrition. It can also control many
diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer, renal and gastric diseases to the greater
extent. Due to gradual changing life style in metro cities, available time for cooking is
getting reduced. The demand for quality processed vegetables for ready – to –
serve, ready – to – eat and easy – to - cook is increasing day by day as it saves
time, labour along with extended shelf life. Hundreds of traditional bottle gourd food
products are already popular in India from East to West and North to South. These
are : namkeen, ice crème, ladoo, barfi, peda muthia, murukku, punugulu, thepia,
kura, baked samosa, sauces, pickles, chutney, khar, pitha, tenga, etc. Some
commercially value added products (juice, powder, seed oil, tuty – fruity, dried
peels, fries, namkeen, etc ) have been developed and many are in pipeline. Lauki
processing for value added products can generate newer scope for micro / small
industrial establishment in rural areas for employment and income.
Key Words: Bottle gourd, processing, value added products, traditional products,
commercial products, bottle gourd / lauki health benefits. micro rural industries,
entrepreneurship development, rural employment.

2. INTRODUCTION
Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol) Standl), reservoir of vital nutrients, is one
of the popular vegetable crops in India. It is grown throughout India and is available
around the year. It is annual and vigorous climbing vine with large leaves. Bottle
gourd fruits are fleshy and vary in shape and size. It belongs to the family of
cucurbitaceae, genus Lagenaria. The fruit in green stage and leaves with stem
are used as vegetables. The hard shell of the fruit is used for various other
purposes . In India, its production is around 2458 thousand tonnes from 103230
hectares (NHB 2015 – 16 ) with average yield ranging from 9 – 12 tonnes / ha.
Usually it comes to harvesting in 90 days. It is known as Dudhya Sweet- Marathi,
Lauki- Hindi or calabash. It grows well in hot moist season. It is propagated by seed
(3 – 6 kg / ha ) in basins of 1 – 1.5 m diameter made 2 – 3 m apart or in furrows .
Three to four seeds are sown in a basin at 2.5 - 3 cm depth (as shown below).
Seedlings can also be grown in poly or net house for planting. The principal
varieties are : summer prolific Round, summer prolific Long, Pusa Naveen,
Arka Bahar, Pusa Manjiri, Pusa Meghdoot , etc. Bottle gourd is highly
perishable goes 20 – 45 % waste from harvesting till reaches to consumer.
Therefore, processing and value addition is essential for minimising losses
and opening new doors for rural income generation .
Bottle Gourd is used in numerous Indian preparations and delicious dishes. With a
short cooking time, it is often found in soups, stir fried, dal or simply served as a
sabzi. It's grated form is used to make tuiti – fruity, sweet pickle, hot pickle , halwa
and kofta curries. Long thin strips of bottle gourd are used as a vegetarian substitute
in sushi or can simply be drunk as a juice. It's seeds are candied or roasted for
consumption .
BASIN PLANTING MANUAL PLANTER MECHANICAL PLANTER TRANSPLANTING
CLIMBING
STRUCTURE
CROP IN
STRUCTURE
CROP ON FENCE STR MARKING FOR
PLANTING
Nutritional Value :
Bottle Gourd is a low calorie product full of numerous nutrients stored in it. 100 g of
bottle gourd edible portion contains 15 calories, 1 g fat and 96 g water. It is low in
saturated fat, cholesterol, high in soluble and insoluble dietary fibres, Vitamins A, B,
C, K, E, B complex and ascorbic acid, essential minerals - sodium, calcium, iron,
potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, folate, choline.

3. Health Benefits:
Medicinal properties of the bottle gourds are highly potent in curing various diseases.
It counters stomach acidity, ulcers, indigestion, fatigue, and excessive thirst. It helps
in better digestion, body weight management, strengthening heart muscles . It
reduces constipation, blood sugar level, inflammation in kidney and liver, urinary
infection. It cures insomnia, calculi, mental disorder, severe diarrheal, cough,
asthma, bronchitis, sleeping disorder, etc. Bottle Gourd Powder is advantageous in
psychopathy, epilepsy, and some other nervous diseases. Choline helps in retaining
and enhancing memory. The product efficiently helps in preventing untimely graying
of hair.
Harvesting: Harvesting starts after 50 – 55 days when the fruit is in tender stage.
Plucking the individual fruit with sharp knife keeping 5 cm stalk with fruit.
Grading: It is done as per size, colour and tenderness.
Storage : Can be stored for 2-3 days without damage under shade and for over a
week in zero energy cool chambers (shown below) by sprinkling fresh water. Can be
stored in cold store for 20 – 25 days at 50 to 80 deg F temp.
COOL CHAMBER
Drying – Dehydration:
Fresh light green, well matured, uniform size and colour bottle gourd are washed,
sorted , graded, peeled and cut into two halves along it's vertical axis. Inedible
portion are scooped out with the help of spoon and then cut into shreds of 3 mm
thickness. Round gourds are cut into strips. A deep pot with tight fitting lid and a
wire basket is used for steam blanching. Bottle gourd shreds are kept at 2 5 cm deep
loosely in the basket. Basket with shreds is placed in the pot making sure that water
does not come in contact with the bottle gourd shreds. Pot is covered for 6 minutes
blanching time . The blanched shreds are dried in a cabinet dryer keeping constant
air velocity of 1.5 m/sec and temperature 60 deg C or in solar drier or in sun.
Round Gourd top
cut
Inedible part
removed
Gourd Strips cut Strips hung for
drying

4. Drying Shreds
Drying in cab drier
Dried strips / shreds
packed
Lauki powder
Bottle Gourd Pulp Canning :
Fresh light green, well matured, uniform size and colour bottle gourd are washed,
sorted , graded, peeled and cut into two halves along vertical axis and cut in to
cubes. Seeds are removed by hand. Cut pieces are blanched at 90 deg C for 2
minutes and crushed in pulper. Sodium benzoate @ 0.05 to 0.1 % is added.
Containers are filled and exhausted at 82 deg C for 5 minutes. It can be stored safely
for 90 days. Figures below show respectively lauki cut pieces and seed removal,
pulping machine, hand pulper, pulp and canning.
Bottle Gourd Juice:
Juice from blanched bottle gourd pieces is extracted using centrifugal juicer without
water and adding water (2 part bottle gourd and 1 part water).
Bottle gourd Products:
Hundreds of sweets , snacks, food items are in existence all over the country. 36
items have been shown below.
Barfi Laddoo Halwa
Kheer
Pudding Muthia Murukku
Punugulu

5. Thepia Talagapindi kura
Medhu vada
Pickle
Chutney Bread
Bhujia
Peel Namkeen Stuffed idli Cutlet Malpua
Vadula Baby food
Dosa
Baked
samosa
Rasmalai Raita instant
Thoku
pachadi
Musallum
Al
yakhni
lauj Balusahi Ice
creme
NEH Daalna
Sam
pliau Mizorum
Assamee khar
Baked lauki and seed
sweet
THANKS -- Dr jai singh