Kulfi Making : As An Option Of Self-Employment

India is the number one producer of milk in the world, with an average production of 209.96 Million Tones per annum in 2020-21; out of this about 50- 55% of the total milk production is converted into traditional milk products, which is mainly confined to the cottage scale in the nonorganized sector.

- Bhavesh Chavhan*, Prashant Shelke, Pooja Bhagat, Priya Yawale

Introduction

It is estimated that about 0.7% of total milk is being converted into ice cream, Kulfi and other frozen desserts. Per capita consumption of this frozen dessert in India is about 100 ml per annum comparing to 22 L per annum in USA.

The world 'Kulfi' derived from Hindi is said to be a synonym for the word 'ice', coined by the residents of the Himalayan region. The word is spelled as 'qulfi' in Persian, meaning 'covered cup'. Kulfi is a traditional Indian frozen dairy product, popular among all the age group, especially during summer month. This is mostly popular in northern parts of India. However, the product is also popular in other Asian country. Any satisfactory method for its industrial production has so far not been developed. Itinerant traders have evolved simple technology using a open pan for the concentration of milk, followed by the addition of locally manageable ingredients, and use of ice salt mixture for freezing. With the rapid growth of the dairy industry in our country, the technology and design of process equipment has also undergone needed changes and equipment for making indigenous products are no exception. The small-scale technology for the preparation of indigenous products cannot be exploited for industrial production. India has made substantial growth of urban and semi-urban areas. As a result, increasing number of persons in the cities is desirous of purchasing quality milk products and milk-based sweets. The small-scale techniques used at present for the preparation of value-added Traditional Indian Dairy Products (TIDP) can not be adopted for industrial production. The current method for the manufacture of indigenous dairy products is based on techniques that remained unchanged overages.

Background