Is powdered jackfruit seed likely to displace coffee and become a ‘health drink’ to boot?
Shivanna of Sakharayapatna, who is from Parivarthana, an NGO in Chikkamagaluru district thinks it has a fighting chance against the incumbent brew.
“My product is very close to coffee,” claims Shivanna, who was at the jackfruit mela here on Sunday. The processed seed powder is the result of one year of ‘research’ and is naturally free from caffeine.
Three cups of “health drink” could be prepared, he says, from one spoon of his as yet untested powder. He has sent samples to the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, for analysis of carbohydrate, fibre, fat and calories. “You can have this like you have coffee, making its decoction,” he asserts.
‘Jaffe powder’Maithraye Shenoy, a homemaker of Pandeshwara in Mangaluru has also rustled up a “health drink” from jackfruit seed powder. She has named it “jaffe powder” which can be mixed with milk. “I roast the jackfruit seed before making it,” she says.
Meanwhile, a commercial company at Taliparamba, near Kannur, is already marketing jackfruit seed powder. It says it can be used to make chapattis, dosas, cakes and bread.
It also makes a product from jack seed as masala for chicken curry, said Shree Padre, a farm writer and a crusader for jackfruit and its value-added products.
“Stop throwing away jack seeds. It is going to be India’s next decade’s export product,” he said.
