Introduction
Moringa oleifera, renowned worldwide for its nutrition and medicinal uses, holds immense value. Its parts, utilized diversely, offer rich nutrition. The pod, a popular Indian vegetable, gets exported. Its root acts as horseradish substitute. Foliage, a flavorful green, is widely consumed. Dried leaf powder supplements meals. Its seeds, akin to peanuts, roast well.
Market
The bright green leaves of moringa oleifera (drumstick tree) are a rich source of vitamin A and C that help in strengthening bones. Interestingly, 80 per cent of the production of moringa leaves happens in India, fetching crores of foreign exchange for the country.
Growing at a rate of 26-30 per cent annually, the export of moringa leaves is a big business in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha. The major countries which import moringa leaves are China, the US, Germany, Canada, South Korea and European countries.
Processing Outline
Moringa have many medicinal value, There is a difference processing method for moringa leaves and drumstick.
1. Moringa Leaves
The Moringa leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of B vitamins, vitamin C, provitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin K, manganese, and protein, among other essential nutrients.
Moringa leaves can be consumed fresh, cooked or as powder. It can be used in tea, in capsules, added to beverages, sprinkled in saladS or soup… etc. There is endless ways to incorporate Moringa into the diet.
Process outline of the moringa leave is Harvesting, Washing, Draining, Stripping, Drying, Packaging and Storage.
2. Drumstick Powder
Processing of Drumstick Powder
Processing outline for drumstick powder is Washing, Grading, Steaming and Blanching, Pressing, Drying, Grinding and Packaging
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Selection: Choose fresh mature drumsticks for processing and wash them to remove dirt.
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Grading: Grade the vegetable to eliminate damaged and immature sticks.
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Steaming and blanching: Steam and blanch the sticks in large tanks to aid pulp extraction.
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Pressing: Use rollers to extract pulp from the softened sticks. Prepare Slurry: Create a thick slurry with the extracted pulp.
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Drying: Dry the slurry in a vacuum drier at a core temperature of 50 to 55 degrees Celsius.
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Grinding: Grind it into a fine powder with edible starches and anti-caking agents.
Source: Alliance Engineering Consultant Research