Tribes India launches mahua nutrabeverage

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), which has developed mahua flower (madhuca latifolia) based nutrabeverage in blend with other conventional fruits having higher nutritional value and low alcohol content, has signed a MoU with National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), government of India for undertaking the assignment of technology transfer to the suitable entrepreneurs for production and marketing of the developed mahua nutrabeverage.

It's the outcome of two years of research which was done in collaboration with IIT, Delhi that TRIFED developed mahua nutrabeverage. The TRIFED is planning to distribute this technology to firms selected by the NRDC to set up such enterprises so that they can own these enterprises and produce the nutrabeverage developed from mahua.

Initially, Adivasi Bahuuddeshiya Co-operative (ABC) Society, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh has entered into a MoU with s NRDC on March 6 to produce and market the developed mahua nutrabeverage.

While talking to Millennium Post, TRIFED MD Pravir Krishna said, "Mahuwa (madhuca indica) is a prominent multipurpose forest tree among the tribal areas as it plays an important role in the rural household economy. The mahuwa flowers are a rich source of sugars (arabinose, rhamnose, glucose, fructose and sucrose) and contain appreciable amounts of vitamins, minerals and calcium."

"It has upto 5 per cent alcohol and is rich in vitamin C, phenolic content and antioxidant and considered good for healthy heart, since it can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases," he further said.