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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa

In the imperial Gazetteer of India 1878, Pusa was recorded as a government estate of about 1350 acres in Darbhanba. It was acquired by East India Company for running a stud farm to supply better breed of horses mainly for the army. Frequent incidence of glanders disease (swelling of glands), mostly affecting the valuable imported bloodstock made the civil veterinary department to shift the entire stock out of Pusa. A British tobacco concern Beg Sutherland & co. got the estate on lease but it also left in 1897 abandoning the government estate of Pusa. Lord Mayo, The Viceroy and Governor General, had been repeatedly trying to get through his proposal for setting up a directorate general of Agriculture that would take care of the soil and its productivity, formulate newer techniques of cultivation, improve the quality of seeds and livestock and also arrange for imparting agricultural education. The government of India had invited a British expert. Dr. J. A. Voelcker who had submitted as report on the development of Indian agriculture. As a follow-up action, three experts in different fields were appointed for the first time during 1885 to 1895 namely, agricultural chemist (Dr. J. W. Leafer), cryptogamic botanist (Dr. R. A. Butler) and entomologist (Dr. H. Maxwell Lefroy) with headquarters at Dehradun (U.P.) in the forest Research Institute complex. Surprisingly, until now Pusa, which was destined to become the centre of agricultural revolution in the country, was lying as before an abandoned government estate. In 1898. Lord Curzon took over as the viceroy. A widely traveled person and an administrator, he salvaged out the earlier proposal and got London’s approval for the appointment of the inspector General of Agriculture to which the first incumbent Mr. J. Mollison (Dy. Director of Agriculture, Bombay) joined in 1901 with headquarters at Nagpur The then government of Bengal had mooted in 1902 a proposal to the centre for setting up a model cattle farm for improving the dilapidated condition of the livestock at Pusa estate where plenty of land, water and feed would be available, and with Mr. Mollison’s support this was accepted in principle. Around Pusa, there were many British planters and also an indigo research centre Dalsing Sarai (near Pusa). Mr. Mollison’s visits to this mini British kingdom and his strong recommendations. In favour of Pusa as the most ideal place for the Bengal government project obviously caught the attention for the viceroy.

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20231
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Subject: Processing and Food Engineering × Author: REDDY, CHEPA TARUN TEJA × End date: 2023 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect of packaging material on shelf-life of Watermelon Jaggery
    (RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) REDDY, CHEPA TARUN TEJA; Kumar, Vishal
    The current research on the "Effect of Packaging Materials on the Shelf-Life of Watermelon Jaggery" was conducted to select suitable packaging materials and storage conditions for enhanced shelf life of watermelon jaggery based on physico-chemical properties, microbial count, and organoleptic attributes. This was done to assess its storability under the ambient (12-43°C) and refrigerated conditions (5±1°C) for commercial viability. Watermelon jaggery was prepared using different proportions of rind content (14.33% w/w), binding agent (9.86% w/w), and sweetening agent (12.50% w/w). Then it was stored in HDPE, LDPE, aluminum foil, glass jars, and hermetic pouches under ambient and refrigerated conditions and the quality analysis was carried out over a 160-day storage period at 20-day intervals. Quality parameters changed significantly with increase in storage period. By the end of storage under ambient condition, the moisture content decreased from 16.54% to 11.53%, pH decreased from 6.42 to 6.19, TSS increased from 74.4°Brix to 83.80°Brix, reducing sugars increased from 2.8% to 4.81%, total sugars increased from 4.5% to 6.73%, hardness increased from 36.13N to 40.67N, the colour index decreased from 42.5 to 35.47, and overall acceptability scores were declined from 8.55 to 6.81. Meanwhile, under refrigerated conditions, the moisture content decreased from 16.54% to 13.10%, pH decreased from 6.42 to 6.21, TSS increased from 74.4°Brix to 81.93°Brix, reducing sugars increased from 2.8% to 4.53%, total sugars increased from 4.5% to 6.51%, hardness increased from 36.13N to 42.63N, the colour index decreased from 42.5 to 37.57, and overall acceptability scores were declined from 8.55 to 7.10. These experimental results were subjected to statistical analysis using a completely randomized design (CRD) in GRAPES online statistical software. The total microbial count was observed at the end of storage duration, but their population were within the safe limit for consumption for the watermelon jaggery stored in refrigerated condition. From the economic analysis, it was found that B/C ratio was 1.51 and payback period is 0.32 years indicate quick recovery of initial investment. This study not only advances academic knowledge by providing valuable insights into the production, storage, and economic feasibility of this unique product but also offers entrepreneurs a compelling commercial opportunity.