Review on recent advances in value addition of jaggery based products

Abstract

Jaggery is sugarcane based natural sweetener made by the concentration of sugarcane juice without any use of chemicals. It is available in the form of solid blocks and in semi-liquid form. Besides this, the sap collected from some palm trees such as palmyra-palm (Borassus flabellifer L.), coconut-palm (Cocos nucifera L.), wild date-palm (Phoenix sylvestris Roxb.) and sagopalm (Caryota urens L.) is used for preparation of jaggery. It contains the natural sources of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice and it is one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. The micro nutrients present in the jaggery possess antitoxic and anti-carcinogenic properties. In India, of the 300 Mt of sugarcane produced, 53% is processed into white sugar, 36% into jaggery and khandsari, 3% for chewing as cane juice and 8% as seed cane. The methods of converting sugarcane and manufacturing sugar, gur and khandsari are different but a great value is added in the manufacturing of these consumable final products. Further it offers employment opportunity to millions of people. Of the total world production, more than 70% of the jaggery is produced in India but most of the jaggery business suffers from losses. The development of different value added products from jaggery and their commercial availability becomes needs of the hour to sustain future profitability in the jaggery trade.