When the temperature soars and there is no respite from heat, there is always a fruit- or fruit juice – one take to cool one self. Fruits like mango, litchi, watermelon and mushmelon, provided abundantly by nature, not only have cooling effect but are also nutritious, refreshing and energizing, according to experts.
Mango, the king of fruits, is a much-liked fruit by people of all age-groups. Unlike other fruits mango is put into multifarious uses right from the first stage of development to maturity and ripening. Mango squash is a widely accepted cold drink during summers. It is prepared with the addition of sugar, acid and water to moderate quantity of mango pulp. Mango juice diluted with 45% water is quite suited for canning and can be consumed directly. Sugar-acid blend of the juice should be adjusted after adding sugar and citric acid. Mango nectar is a ready-to-serve beverage. It is prepared with 20% mango pulp which was 20% brix and 0.3% acidity. Canned mango slices in syrup and mango jam are preserved varieties of the fruit. The slice of firm, ripe mangoes are made and sugar syrup of 40% brix is added to them. This product may be stored for use. Mango jam is prepared by adding sugar syrup, citric acid and pectin in proper quantity. The mango chutney, juice and pulp are items for export. Mango juice has good scope for export in South-East Asian and European countries, according to a report in the “Mango” by Dr. R.N. Singh.
Litchi is an excellent table fruit. The nutritive value and pleasant flavour make its juice a delicacy. Though litchi is a table fruit all over the world, in China it is dried or canned and is popular as litchi nut. In Florida, frozen litchi is popular. It may be preserved and canned in a syrup. Litchi squash is an ideal cool drink in hot summer. The juice of litchi is a potential item for squash, syrup, nectar and carbonated drinks. Litchi provides carbohydrates, organic acids, vitamins, pigments, protein and fat. Rich in sugar, litchi is also a source of malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, lactic acid and phosphoric acid. An excellent source of vitamin C, litchi provides protein, a fat, pectin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus and iron. Seeds of litchi are used for intestinal troubles in India and China, while it is useful as an anodyne and in neuralgic disorders in Malaya.
The jelly made of litchi as ideal flavour with a delicate balance of sweetness and tartness. The litchi juice having 16% or more soluble solids combined with sugar in a 1:1 ratio is ideal for making quality jelly. Lime or ‘nimbu’, a vitamin-C wonder fruit, ads zest to cold drinks. Besides, minerals and alkaline salts also enrich it’s nutritive value.
Various cocktails, jams, jellie, marmalade, lime cordial, dried or dehydrated lime peel, lime peel, lime powder, pickel, carbonated and noncarbonated beverages and alcoholic drinks are value-added products of lime. The lime juice mixed with sugar makes it delicious drink. It is known as limeads and lime rickey. The lime juice packed in bottles is appreciated in mixed alcoholic drinks the world over. The lime pipe-equally popular to that of orange pioeis a favourite dish in florida. A tonic tea is prepared from lime leaves, infusion of its leaves is quite useful in jaundice and sore throat. Watermelon or ‘tarbuz’ is a sweet and spongy juicy pulp fruit. In sandy deserts and arid and semi-arid areas, watermelon is used as a chief drink. Sweetness, pleasant aroma, attractive colour and texture of the flesh make watermelon a mouth watering fruit. It is commonly consumed as desert, bear, fresh juice and sweet syrup, whereas its rind is used as pickle or sugar candy. The scar candy is quite popular as tuty-fruity.
The watermelon is an instant source of glucose and fructose. It is a rich source of protein also.
