I gulped the remaining chilled mango juice which actually quenched my thirst within the scorching climate.
Temperatures have been past 40 celcius.
I simply had lunch at a pal’s restaurant and the icing on the cake was a glass of candy, chilled mango juice.
I’ve at all times had a love for mangoes.
Whereas rising up, we had two humongous mango timber simply exterior our residence and so they actually delivered the products when wanted.
You see, I lived in an property and in the course of the mango season, these timber dropped ripe mangoes even on the heads of strangers as they walked previous them.
These have been good surprises which endeared these timber to us.
In fact over time, they have been reduce all the way down to pave method for ‘city growth’.
They have been quick changed by giant buildings.
MANGO GLUT
Throughout this mango season, I sometimes stroll by means of my native market and see the fruits packed in giant batches – typically containing over fifty fruits.
As a lot because the produce seemed engaging, it didn’t fetch a lot worth clever.
Mango farmers have at all times had a battle to make ends meet merely due to the glut in the course of the excessive seasons.
Nonetheless, in nations like Kenya, forward-thinking leaders like the previous governor of Makueni county have established a mango processing plant so as to add worth to the produce.
Prof. Kivutha Kibwana is one distinctive Kenyan chief who at all times put the pursuits of peasant farmers forward of his personal.
And due to this, there’s some degree of success within the mango story in Makueni county.
However that’s not the case in lots of different areas the place mangoes are the money crop.
Rotting heaps of the fruit launch a alcoholic stench which is tough to disregard.
However why ought to mango farmers throw away a fruit which has the potential of giving us at the very least three excessive worth merchandise?
So what are we speaking about right here?
Let’s put aside the fruit juice and pulp for a minute.
We already know the worth they bring about to the desk.
However what in regards to the peels, seed cowl and seed kernels?
What in regards to the rotting fruit pulp itself?
STARCH
While you crack open a mango seed cowl, you expose the seed kernel, a white or creamish-colored core of the seed.
The mango seed kernel incorporates appreciable quantities of starch, which may very well be extracted.
However why is it necessary?
Nicely, a few causes.
First, starch is a carbohydrate which means that it’s meals that may very well be eaten.
Secondly, it’s a uncooked materials for manufacture of bioplastics.
Final however not least, it’s binder for making livestock feeds.
All these merchandise are derived from the mango seed kernel.
However to get to the kernel, we should take away the seed cowl.
So what can we do with the seed cowl?
PARTICLE BOARDS
The mango seed cowl is wealthy in fibre.
If it’s dried, pulverised into smaller measurement then blended with wooden glue.
This may very well be used to make particle boards utilized in furnishings making and building.
The excessive fibre worth of the seed overlaying is also used to make mats or rugs.
However keep in mind that we’ve been speaking a couple of mango glut.
Throughout a glut, we’ve an extra of mango pulp, peels and seeds.
We’ve already seen some potential merchandise from seeds.
What might we conjure up from mango pulp and peels – aside from juices and jams?
VEGAN LEATHER
Leather-based as we all know it’s large enterprise.
Nonetheless a number of challenges exist.
These embody over exploitation of livestock for hides and skins and environmental affect of tanning chemical substances particularly chromium.
Moreover, a major demographic aware a couple of vegan life-style is rising.
Due to this, vegan leather-based is slowly gaining prominence and mango waste is a potential uncooked materials for its manufacturing.
The surplus fruit pulp may very well be blended with pulverised peels, then a binder added.
The combination may very well be unfold onto flat surfaces earlier than being handled with vegetable tanning brokers and waxed for water proofing.
After drying, the vegan leather-based may very well be reduce into items
A number of corporations like Handbagio are doing vegan leather-based manufacturing at a industrial scale.
IN CONCLUSION
What are we saying in just a few phrases?
Alternatives exist round us within the type of what’s considerable.
A mango glut shouldn’t imply abandoning the fruit altogether.
It simply may want some innovation to transform the surplus into one thing of worth.
And that’s what the round financial system is all about.
