Chapters 8.30: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 11:40, 5 September 2024
8.30-Lemon Lime Value Addition
Rowan Hughes , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Hughes,R. (2022) Lemon Lime Value Addition,In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org
Lemon and Lime Background
Lemons originated in North India while limes originally grew in Malaysia centuries ago (Merrill, 1935). As humans have migrated around the globe, they have also brought their agricultural practices and preferences with them, particularity citrus fruits. As of 2012, global lemon production of citrus has amounted to 15.1 million tons (Sgroi et al., 2015). Many smallholder farmers partake in the farming of lemons and limes, as citrus fruit production is not so easily mechanised and requires much labour. Because of this as well as ideal climate, today top lemon and lime producing countries include many from the global south such as India, Mexico and Nigeria that contribute to over 13 million tonnes of lemons and limes produced worldwide today (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2016). Although cultural preferences for citrus products are universal with considerable exports to wealthy nations, they are also consumed locally in many Asian, African and Middle Eastern communities close to production. Below is a list of potential value addition practices suitable to various smallholder farmers to gain more money from the citrus crops they already produce, depending on their location, resource availability and cultural preference.
Value Addition Practices
1. Pickling Lemons and Limes
Pickling lemons and limes is a relatively simple way for smallholder farmers to add significant value to their produce at a relatively low cost. This value addition method requires that farmers place lemon or lime fruit in a jar with salt in the sunlight for three days in order to let it pickle, which is ideal for most subsistence farmers living in warm climates (Milind, 2012). This practice is a common cultural practice of women in South Asia (to make achaar), as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. For smallholder farmers with cultural preferences for pickled citrus in the above locations, this can be an excellent way to add value to lemons or limes when there is no access to an energy source such as electricity. The labour requirements are very minimal. The only required resources are glass containers and salt. Additional value could be added with professional style packaging such as uniform glass jars that show the pickled product within. These could be sold in local markets, or by adding professional packaging, to emerging supermarkets in urban areas. As pickled lemons and limes are an acquired taste therefore this value addition practice may not be suited to subsistence farmers who are not culturally familiar with it. The packaging of the product may be done with locally available supplies, or ordered online from as little as 50 cents Canadian per jar, and 0.02 cents per label from Alibaba: Jars: https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=100004863&SearchText=glass+containers+for+food Labels: https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=lable+printing
2. Juicing Lemons and Limes
Juicing of lemons and limes has a lot of potential to help smallholder farmers solve two problems at once. First, they will be able to reduce harvest loses by using fruit that may be blemished or slightly over ripe to produce fresh juice which is of high value. Some capital would be required for this value addition method. This could be achieved via a village cooperative where farmers produce lime juice, and all invest in a juicing machine (Bhandari, Devkota, & Sthapit, n.d.). These machines are typically electrically operated and would require a power source or petrol. However, in the instance a village does not have the benefit of electricity manually operated juicing machines are available, they do however require more labour than an electric machine. The target market is wide with this product as it could be sold locally or packaged professionally and sold in larger markets in urban centers. Professional glass or plastic bottle packaging will also add value. Those materials could be locally sourced or purchased online for as little as 13 cents Canadian each. Links to the equipment are as follows:
Juicing Machinery:
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/lemon-processing-machine.html Bottles: https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/juice+bottles.html?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=juice+bottles&isGalleryList=G
Some common problems may be that smallholder farmers may not have the upfront capital to be able to purchase the necessary equipment, unless they form a cooperative, perhaps as a community waste saving initiative. There is also the issue of keeping the juice cold once it is pressed, in the instance farmers do not have relatively close access to refrigeration or are too remote from fast transportation,
3. Lemon Leaves for tea
Smallholder farmers could add value to their crops by simply using more of what they grow, but which often times is forgotten. Specifically, in addition to harvesting the lemon fruit, smallholder farmers could also collect the lemon leaves. This would be a little more added labour for the farmers but could be done during harvesting so would be relatively low cost and would add to income. This product is especially appealing in regions such as Pakistan or North Africa where lemon tea is a cultural preference (Abbasi, Ahmed, Maqbool, Qureshi, & Hafiz, 2006). No additional equipment would be required. Lemon leaves do not necessarily need to be dried to make tea; in fact if the producer has access to a local market and there is a regional market for lemon tea, the leaves should be sold fresh and undried for an ideal brew. However, leaves can still be dried, and it may be the best option if the farmer is located a significant distance away from the market they wish to sell at. The leaves can be dried in the sun for several days for this purpose. If this is the method a farmer wishes to use, it would be possible to add even more value through packaging. Tea could be sold loose-leaf through ziplock bags, or though single use filter bags. This choice depends on cultural preference of the selected market. Links on where to purchase tea bags can be found below: https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=tea+bags+packaging+materials&viewtype=
4. Cleaning products
Various cleaning products are easily made with simple recipes featuring lemon or lime as the main ingredient. These do not require electricity or specific storage so they are ideal for subsistence farmers. Although they do require moderate labour, the benefit is great as cleaning products are of high value, especially in developing nations. Materials required would include (but may not be limited to depending on the recipe), bottles for packaging, salt, vodka, and vinegar for most recipes which are mostly available locally. An all-purpose lemon or lime disinfecting spray can be made by covering lemon rinds in vodka and allowing them to soak for a few weeks (Bren Frey. n.d.). Another option for a cleaning product would be making furniture polish. This is a low-cost high value product that is made by combining olive oil, vinegar and lemon or lime juice until they do not separate. This product gets utilized the same way as commercial wood or leather polishes, however it is non-toxic and environmentally friendly (Bren Frey. n.d.). If packaging is not locally available, it can be purchased online at the following webpage:
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/spray+bottle.html?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=spray+bottle&isGalleryList=G These products would be ideal to sell to hotel chains for cleaning purposes, or in local markets as well.
5. Limoncello (Lemon Liquor)
Limoncello is an alcoholic drink prepared by fermenting lemons for a long period of time. The process of producing lemon liquor requires very little labour, requiring that the producer to peel lemons and store the lemons in a jar for 45-60 days covered in pure grain alcohol or vodka (depending on preference or local availability), and then combining sugar with water and then straining the liquor. The materials required include attractive bottles for packaging (if targeting to commercial sale), and cheese cloth that could be purchased locally or online. Ideally this product would be sold to the hospitality industry or upscale restaurants for tourists as limoncello is a European delicacy that would be appreciated by travellers. More detailed information on the process as well as links to purchasing equipment online can be found below:
Process:
https://gizmodo.com/how-to-make-the-best-limoncello-youve-ever-had-1533528095
Cheese Cloths:
Bottles:
One issue with the production of lemon liquor that may be a barrier to smallholder farmers is the cost of all the inputs of production. Another barrier may be finding markets to sell the high value product: if the producers are not located or do not have the means of transporting their product to tourist areas, then they may have a difficult time as other smallholder farmers are unlikely to purchase lemon liquor for consumption.
References
1. Abbasi, N., Ahmed, T., Maqbool, M., Qureshi, A. A., & Hafiz, I. A. (2006, June). Value addition in citrus: Products and uses. Paper presented at International Conference on Value Addition in Horticulture Products, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266853621_VALUE_ADDITION_IN_CITRUS_PRODUCTS_AND_USES
2. Bates, R.P., Morris, J.R., & Crandall, P.G. (2001). FAO Services Bulletin: Vol. 146. Principles and practices of small - and medium - scale fruit juice processing. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y2515e/y2515e00.htm#toc
3. Bhandari, B., Devkota, B. R., & Sthapit, S. (n.d.). Value addition and marketing of local citrus products in Nepal. Retrieved from https://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/user_upload/online_library/publications/pdfs/Community_biodiversity_management/4.2.market_citrus_products_Nepal.pdf
4. Bren Did & Bren Fey. (n.d.). 15 All-natural homemade lemon cleaning products (that really work!)[Blog post]. Retrieved from Bren Did website: https://brendid.com/natural-homemade-lemon-cleaning-products/
5. Chapagain, T., & Raizada, M. N. (2017). Agronomic Challenges and Opportunities for Smallholder Terrace Agriculture in Developing Countries. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8(331). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5355443/
6. Citrus Academy. (2014, April 14). Citrus Value Chain [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRQmjPhdiWU&t=1s
7. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2016). Citrus fruit statistics 2015. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5558e.pdf
8. Healthy and Easy Recipes by Sel. (2015, July 23). Pickled lemon/lime part 1 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZjO8jh0Ow
9. COTVET. (n.d).Introduction to Citrus Farming [White Paper]. (n.d.).Retrieved from file:///Users/rowanhughes/Downloads/Intro%20to%20Citrus%20Unit%201.pdf
10. Merrill, E.D. (1935). Where our food plants came from. Torreya, 35(2), 25-30. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/40596984?seq=5#metadata_info_tab_contents
11. Milind, L. S. (2012, November). Postharvest management of citrus fruit in south asian countries. Paper presented at 12th International Citrus Congress - International-Society-of-Citriculture, Valencia, Spain. Retrieved from http://apps.webofknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=4&SID=7DHV1v4RJFIGyMoQ9gq&excludeEventConfig=ExcludeIfFromFullRecPage&page=1&doc=1
12. Sgroi, F., Candela, M., Di Trapani, A. M., Fodera, M., Squatrito, R., Testa, R., & Tudisca, S. (2015). Economic and Financial Comparison between Organic and Conventional Farming in Sicilian Lemon Orchards. Sustainability, 7(1), 947-961. Retrieved from http://apps.webofknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=5BsOqLicBuhcjAwFaF5&page=3&doc=3