Product Development: Nutritional Value, Processing and Utilization of Indigenous Fruits from the Miombo Ecosystem - Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Tropics: Domestication, Utilization and Commercialization - page 292

product Amarula Cream is marketed world-wide (Kwesiga et al ., 2000); it is sold
in 63 countries and it is presently the second best-selling cream liqueur in the
world (Akinnifesi et al. , 2006).
16.3.1 Processing of indigenous fruits in Malawi
Local communities in Malawi select fruits to make products based on their ability
to increase and ensure food security and cash income at the household level. Such
products include fresh fruits, juices, 'chiminimini' (boiled pancakes), powder,
yoghurts and jams (Simons, 1996; Saka et al ., 2002). For example, to raise the
income of rural and peri-urban households, fresh fruits, chiminimini and spirits
appear to be the most important products, as they fetch good prices. In the Lower
Shire of Malawi, the dominant fruit, Ziziphus mauritiana , is sun-dried for 3 months
and stored for future use (Saka et al. , 2002). The dried product is brewed to give a
spirit known as 'kachasu'. Its seed kernels are also roasted, pounded and added to
vegetables during cooking. The seed kernel of Trichilia emetica is pounded and
when mixed with milk and warmed is served as baby food (Williamson, 1975).
In Malawi, wine has been made from indigenous fruits such as Uapaca
kirkiana (wild loquat), Sclerocarya birrea , Ziziphus mauritiana and Parinari
curatellifolia (mobola plum) and the wines from indigenous fruits are of good
and acceptable quality (Ngwira, 1996). Syzygium owariense fermented and
cleared faster (within 3.5 months) than Mangifera indica (mango), which took
5 months (Ngwira, 1996). The mean alcohol content of wines is reported to be
12-16% for Syzygium owariense , 12-18% for Psidum guajava , 12-14% for
Tamarindus indica , and 12-16% for Mangifera indica wines (Ngwira, 1996).
16.3.2 Processing of indigenous fruits in Zimbabwe
Traditional fruit processing in Zimbabwe is predominant in the drier parts of the
country, where indigenous fruits supplement food requirements (Kadzere et al .,
2004). Rural communities in Zimbabwe have been processing baobab oil and
making Uapaca juice and jam (Akinnifesi et al ., 2006). The major fruits being
processed in the Zambezi valley are Ziziphus mauritiana , Adansonia digitata ,
Sclerocarya birrea and Tamarindus indica in the Zambezi valley, Chipinge and
Gokwe. These fruits are being used directly for human consumption, while
Parinari curatellifolia is also used as livestock feed. In a study by Kadzere et al .
(2004), 78% of indigenous fruit processors indicated that they process in order
to improve taste while 35% processed to preserve the fruits for later use,
particularly during the off-season. Households were using Strychnos cocculoides
juice and Adansonia digitata pulp to add a sour flavour to cereal porridge and
with the intention of enriching it with vitamins. Some of the products reported
from Zimbabwe are listed in Table 16.2.
The Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) has developed
several recipes for processing various products from fruits such as Uapaca kirkiana
(known as 'mazhanje' in Shona), Adansonia digitata , Strychnos cocculoides and