Bhagalpur: The Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, scientists have achieved a milestone by developing ‘Asian Palmyra Palm’ product ‘Neera’ that has extended shelf life.
BAU vice chancellor, D R Singh, on Wednesday inaugurated a Neera processing plant at the university’s horticulture garden that manufactures the packed product available for commercial sale to consumers.. The new value-added Neera has high nutritional value, a nearly neutral pH, and acts as a thirst quencher with natural vitamins, sugar, and other health-beneficial nutrients, serving as a healthy alternative to chemical-based soft drinks.
The VC said with the state of the art processing plant, the first of its kind in the entire region, would manufacture the Neera drink that would be marketed and sold in cans with a shelf life of six months. Lauding the efforts of BAU scientists—Ahmar Aftab, Wasim Siddiqui, Shamsher Ahmad and Vivek Kumar—who played crucial roles in developing the Neera preservation technology, the VC said liquid collected from palm tree ferments rapidly after sunrise due to rising temperatures and converts into toddy, an alcoholic beverage that has 4% alcohol content.
Following the ban on alcoholic beverages in Bihar, the fermented toddy is also prohibited, impacting the livelihood of the tappers. The VC added that they envisaged a plan and worked tirelessly to address the livelihood issues facing the toddy tappers and to improve their lives. The BAU scientists designed and patented a Neera collection box and polybag to collect good quality and hygienic liquid for processing and packaging in drinking cans.
This innovative step replaced traditional earthen pots (labni in common parlance), which led to immediate fermentation. The BAU’s processing lines are open for stakeholders in the community, allowing them to utilise these facilities for processing various food products at nominal charges. The VC added that the university and the scientists are committed to improving the livelihood of toddy tappers and sellers through its support under the Mukhyamantri Neera Samvardhan Yojana (MMNSY) of the state govt.
An official said the production capacity of the unit is 60,000 litres per annum. Neera will be packed in 200 ml aluminium cans. The sale of Neera will generating a revenue of Rs 1.35 lakh per annum. The profit will be shared by BAU and the stakeholders in the ratio of 25:75 per cent, respectively.
Senior scientist and associate professor Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui has also developed a technology to prepare Neera powder, which can be mixed with water to resemble fresh drink. The VC added that this further enables Neera enjoyable throughout the year.
News Courtesy: Timesofindia