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Add Value To Berries: Part 1

Farmer's Weekly

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October 30, 2020

Do you want to increase your market turnover? One proven way of doing this is to add value to your crops through agro-processing.

Add Value To Berries: Part 1

Most value-added food products on the market have been processed in some way. There are two prinicpal methods of processing:

Primary processing includes the simplest procedures, such as washing, peeling, chopping or milling.

Secondary processing involves the conversion of primary processed products into more complete food products. It includes mixing, fermentation, pasteurisation and similar methods.

This article looks at the agro-processing of blackcurrants, blackberries, blueberries and cherries, and the many uses of the products.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrant juice is the crushed and pasteurised liquid derived from fresh or frozen blackcurrants; it is used as a beverage or in sauces, flavourings and fillings.

Concentrated blackcurrant juice is obtained by the evaporation of water to yield a final product with at least double the standard strength.

The concentrate is preserved through freezing or aseptic packaging. Sugar, preservatives and stabilisers may be added to the concentrate.

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