Physico-Chemical Properties Of Star Gooseberry (Phyllanthus Acidus) Fruits Grown In New Alluvial Zone Of West Bengal

Abstract

Star gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) is an ancient tropical fruit of Euphorbiaceae family, originated in the tropical
regions of Madagascar. It produces small oblate shaped pale-yellow to nearly white fruits with 6-8 ribs. Being an
underutilized fruit crop, star gooseberries are grown in an untended and haphazard manner to a limited degree only and
are not normally cultivated in organized orchards in West Bengal. These fruits are rich in antioxidants and have
tremendous health benefits. With this background a study was conducted to estimate physico-chemical properties of star
gooseberry at the laboratory of Department of Fruit Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia,
West Bengal. A set of 30 fruits with 10 fruits per replication were taken for evaluation. Physical parameters like fruit
weight (3.15 g), fruit length (1.73 cm), fruit diameter (1.47 cm), fruit volume (3 ml), specific gravity (1.05), seed weight
(0.16 g), seed length (0.66 cm ), seed diameter (0.98 cm), edible percentage (94.92 %) and edible : non-edible portion
(18.68) were recorded in star gooseberry fruits. TSS content of 5.75 0Brix, total sugar (2.5 %), reducing sugar (1.29 %),
non-reducing sugar (1.21%) and vitamin C content of 4.89 mg per 100 g were also observed.