Amchur: Process and usage

Amchur is a dehydrated product made from raw green mangoes. Traditionally Amchur is an Indian spice made from raw green mangoes that are cut, sun-dried, and pounded into powder. The basic objective of drying green mangoes was the removal of water to reach a level at which microbial spoilage can be avoided.

Usually, the dropped immature mangoes are dried in direct sunlight for preparation of amchur. Sun drying takes 16–18 hours for complete drying.

Amchur is also sold as dried mango slices, which practically fits the category.

Amchur is rich in iron content, vitamin A and vitamin E. Amchur is also rich in citric acid. It combats acidity and improves digestion to the flavor to curries, chutneys, soups.

Generally, Amchur is used as an acidulent in place of tamarind especially in North Indian states. It is widely used to give a sour and tangy taste to dishes. Traditionally, amchur is used for the preparation of pickle, chutney and sauces etc.
Amchur: Process and usage

The uses of mango peel

Mango consists of 33-85% edible pulp, with 9-40% inedible kernel and 7-24% inedible peel. Dietary fiber in mango peel has been shown as a favorable source of high quality polysaccharides.

It was reported that pectin to be about 13% on a dry basis-weight basis. Good quality pectin could be used in the manufacture of jam, jellies, marmalades and various pharmaceutical products.

Mango peel also contain a mixture of 5-(12-cis-hepta decenyl) and 5-pentadecyl resorcinol from mango peel and it could act as an agent against Alternaria alternata, a fungus responsible for black spot disease in mango fruit.

In the mango canning industry 25-30% of the fruit is lost in the form of peeling. These peelings are fermented into fruit vinegar. Mango peel juice and waste can be used as a molasses for cattle and also for fermentation into alcohol etc.

The dried peel meal can be incorporated in cattle feed. Mango peel is also suitable as a supplement in fish feed.

The peel and pulp portion left over after juice extraction was utilized to manufacture juice, nectar, etc, by pectin enzyme treatment.
The uses of mango peel

The uses of mango wood

Mango wood is a low quality timber and the bark of the tree is an important source of tannins for curing leather.

The wood has a wavy grain is hard, fairly heavy, strong and had prominent pores. It has been much used in construction, even though it is not especially durable.

Mango wood is very subject to worms, and is most readily attacked by white ants but good seasoned mango when well painted will resists the sun for a very long time, although it decays rapidly under water.

Mango wood is considered the scared wood of choice for Indian firewalkers, and for religious and symbolic reason, it is the wood of choice in many funeral pyres in India as well.

In Hawaii, people woodworkers use mango wood to make bowls. The gum and barks of the tree are used for medicine.
The uses of mango wood