By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Researchers at the SOA Deemed to be University have been working on optimizing methods to enhance the shelf-life of ‘Moringa Oleifera’—better known as ‘Drumstick Plant’ and a ‘Super Food’— which has enormous medicinal properties while being a rich food supplement.
Leaves, root, seed, bark and immature pods of the plant, plentily found in kitchen gardens in Odisha, contain important minerals, protein, vitamins, beta- carotene, amino acids and various phenolics.
“These act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants while having anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-spasmodic, diuretic, anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, hepato-protective, anti-microbial and cholesterol lowering properties,” Prof. E.Subudhi, senior faculty at the Centre for Biotechnology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS), SOA’s faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said.
Though the plant is extremely useful, perishability or loss of nutritional value of the leaves within a few hours of plucking proved to be a major bottleneck which required user-friendly scientific interventions with farmers in view, he said.
Prof. Subudhi said he, along with his colleague Prof. B.B.Subudhi, had optimized methods to enhance the shelf-life of the moringa leaves and value added products linked to the same while developing easily transferable techniques to test and train farmers and entrepreneurs to tackle the problem.
SOA, funded by the central government, has set up a state-of-the-art laboratory at its Centre for Rural and Tribal Development (CRTD) at SPS, he said adding a value-added product development facility had also been established at the Rural Health Care and Training Centre, run by the University, at Jamujhari on the outskirts of the city.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, had sanctioned a project entitled ‘Sustainable Livelihood Generation of Tribal Community through Value Added Product Development from Moringa Leaves’ under its ‘Techno Interventions for Tribal Empowerment (TITE)’ scheme to facilitate infrastructure development on processing and packing of moringa products.
The farmers were being trained in processing and packing of moringa leaves at the Jamujhari Centre, Prof. E. Subudhi said adding they were being encouraged to take up moringa cultivation on a bigger scale.
Efforts have been made by Prof. Subudhi and his team to attract the support of field functionaries, district administration and experts in the field of horticulture to make this a succeful venture.
He further assured that young entrepreneurs having the willingness to take up this business opportunity through cultivation, value addition and marketing of the moringa leaf products across the state, country and beyond were always welcome to the SPS facility for technical support.
