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During 1994-95, the area under cropping including
food grain, cash crops, fruits and vegetables in Pakistan was 22.14
million hectares. The area under all fruit crops was 0.57 million
hectares, although area under fruit crops in Sindh during 1994-95 was
91,200 hectares, which produced, 439,000 tones of fruits. the losses
during the harvest of fruits in the field amount to 10% or more losses
between harvest to consumption is account for another of about 40% ,
thus the total losses could be as high as 50% of the produce.
Food processing techniques are used for reducing
the food borne diseases, attack of micro-organisms and to protect the
health of consumers.
In Pakistan we have a number of food processing
industries like: and non-alcoholic beverages, cereals and baked goods,
cheese and cheese spreads, candies and confectionery, cooking fat, oil,
salad oil and shortening, egg products, fermented food, fish and
marine products, fruits, jam, jellies, red meat and poultry products,
sugar, syrup and corn starch and vegetables industries.
In food industries we use various industrial
fermentations like, lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, yeast
with lactic and acetic acid bacteria.
Some times irradiation, heat preservation and
dehydration techniques are also used for processing and preservation
purposes.
Our food is mostly contaminated with pesticides and
micro-organisms so we need to take help of highly sophisticated
automated computerised techniques for their removal and studying.
In order to get better fruits and vegetables,
scientists are taking the help of growth regulator, genetic
engineering and biotechnology for evolving crops with particular
better ability of processing character of colour, flavour, texture and
nutritive value which will boost the processing industries.
If we take care of processes industries it will
bring income and employment in rural and urban areas of Pakistan. |
