Value Addition in Under-Exploited Fruits of Karonda (Carissa carandus L.):An Earning Opportunity for Rural Communities in India

Under-exploited fruits (earlier known as minor fruits) have played a very vital role in supplementing the diet of the native people of India. These fruits refer to the species that have been domesticated but not cultivated in commercial scale like Aegle marmelos, Artocarpus lakoocha, Dillenia sp., Buchanania lanzan, Carissa carandus, Feronia limonia, etc. Some fruit crops are considered minor in some places while the same fruit crops are in commercial cultivation in some other regions (Paul, 2013). Moreover, wild edible fruits which are sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and compounds of nutritional importance, secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, essential oils, phenols, tannins, etc. play an important role in maintaining livelihood and nutritional security of native communities in the developing countries (Afolayan and Jimoh, 2009). The eastern states of India like West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, other north eastern states and southern states covering the western Ghats areas like Karnataka, Kerala, etc. are the treasure houses of under-exploited fruits. These fruits are comparatively higher in nutrient content then the mainstream fruits. Among all these fruits, value addition in koronda (Carissa carandus L.) is one of the most grabbing opportunities for rural communities in earning sustainable livelihoods.