ICAR to submit proposal to set up units for hygienic feni production

PANAJI: The Indian council of agricultural research (ICAR) is planning to submit a proposal to the state government to set up units on a pilot basis for more hygienic extraction and production of feni through processing techniques tried by it.

The ICAR has achieved success in removing the astringent smell from feni by inoculating a consortium of micro-organisms into it during the fermentation stage.

A few stakeholders in the local industry foresee vast potential for marketing the liquor beyond Goa's borders and even abroad as they are confident it could meet even high international standards as the astringent smell was a constraint.

ICAR's intervention is limited to helping with inputs on norms and methodology for better and hygienic extraction and storage of cashew juice for fermentation. "But the old distillation method can continue and we want to preserve it," said ICAR scientist S B Barbuddhe.

During the processing, the cashew farmers crush the fruit with their feet on an unpolished kolmi dug into laterite stone. But as it is not washed after use, the kolmi generates bacteria, which gives feni the astringent smell, sources said.

A few farmers rely on mechanical extraction to save labour and increase the yield, as compared to the stamping method. But the bacteria develop easily on mild steel crushers, says Gurudas Bhakta, secretary of Goa cashew feni distillers and bottlers association.

Agrees Barbuddhe, "The mechanized juice extractor should be made of stainless steel and not of iron."

The cashew farmers also use mild steel for storing juice for fermentation. "In both cases, stainless steel for juice extractors and storage tank should be used or the tank should be lined with ceramic tiles to prevent formation of bacteria," Bhakta said.

Sources said farmers who have small quantities of cashew juice can store it for fermentation in plastic containers. "But this does not ensure uniform quality of the product. Ideally, storage in a single tank facilitates introduction of consortium of microbes and helps achieve uniform quality," Barbuddhe said.

This is where the ICAR wants to help farmers to improve the hygiene in production. ICAR scientists tried out better processing techniques and use of micro-organisms at a distillery in Nanora, which can serve as a demonstration unit. The stakeholders feel the government should evolve a scheme to assist farmers in setting up infrastructure for hygienic production.

"The farmers have only to invest in a ceramic-tiled tank and stainless steel juice extractors," Barbuddhe said. But there are some who feel that the feni's aroma is its intrinsic essence. "Without it, it will be like the sardar sans the pugdi," says Mac Vaz, president of Goa cashew feni distillers and bottlers association. But promoters of the new variant insist the flavour will be retained in the scientific exercise.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/ICAR-to-submit-proposal-to-set-up-units-for-hygienic-feni-production/articleshow/11865503.cms