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Mango wine in the making
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Monday, 30 August, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Researchers in Lucknow have developed a wine made from mangoes that they hope might one day compete with the traditional grape-based variety. Scientists at the Central Institute of Subtropical Horticultural Research there have produced wines using three types of mangoes native to Uttar Pradesh – the Dussehri, Langra and Chausa. India is the world’s largest mango producer and is home to nearly 1,000 varieties of the succulent and juicy fruit, something the researchers hope could be harnessed into a new drinks industry, according to a report by AFP.
Neelima Garg, who led the research team, told the news agency, “Just as each of the mango varieties taste different, each of the wines too varies in taste as well as in flavour.” Garg had been working on the project for the past two years.
The main problem researchers in Lucknow faced was treating the viscous mango pulp to make it thin enough to pass as wine. “The process of fermentation is not very tough as mango contains huge quantities of sugar, which is the basic source of alcohol, but balancing the viscosity is what needs to be done very carefully, she said.
Alcohol content in the slightly yellow, sweet drink is 8-9%, lower than the wines made from grapes, which generally range from 10-15%.
Researchers in Lucknow and elsewhere are hoping that this adventure could spread to include more exotic wines made from mangoes, blackberries or even apples. Manish Kasture is part of a team of scientists based at the state-funded Dapoli Agricultural University in Maharashtra. He is applying for patents on wine made from cashew apples and blackberries. He also has a mango wine in the pipeline, but it needs some fine-tuning.
“Grape wine is available all over the world,” Kasture said, adding these wines are healthier. They have antioxidants and vitamins. In Lucknow, institute director H Ravishankar believes that it will surely be a big draw with all fond of good liquor, and hopes to ink a deal with a commercial wine producer.
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