Current Status of Guava (Psidium Guajava L.) Production, Utilization, Processing and Preservation in Kenya: A Review
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Date
2019Author
Omayio, Duke G
Abong', George O
OKoth, Michael W
Gachuiri, Charles K
Mwang'ombe, Agnes W
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The guava (Psidium Guajava L.) tree is extensively grown in the tropical and
sub-tropical regions of the world. It is quite resilient, highly productive, has high
economic returns and requires minimal care. The fruit is very nutritious with a
characteristic flavor and has a high demand internationally especially when
processed into pulp, concentrates, ready to serve beverages, wines, as well
as jams and jellies. Although Kenya has a favorable climate for guava farming,
the fruit’s nutritional and economic potential remain highly underutilized due to
low adoption of processing and preservation techniques in addition to limited
research. This review focuses on guava production utilization, processing and
preservation with emphasis on Kenya. There has been progressive increase
in the total acreage under guava farming with various varieties of guavas
being produced. The country produces as much as 11,327 tons of guava fruits
worth 1.1 million US dollars although the fruit is mainly cultivated for local
consumption with minimal processing. Naturalized guavas from sprouts of
randomly dispersed seeds are common across all the agroecological zones
both in the wild and on farms except in the arid areas. The fruit is however,
climacteric and has a high rate of perishability resulting to high postharvest
losses when in season. Processing of guavas into commercial products can
increase the fruit’s value, improve farmers’ household incomes and enhance
their utilization. The guava value chain also remains highly underexploited
and since it is a neglected crop, there is need for a multisectoral approach in
order to exploit the nutritional and economic potential of the fruit.
URI
https://profiles.uonbi.ac.ke/sites/default/files/mwokoth/files/7.3.4_omayio_carj_vol7_no3_p_318-331.pdfhttp://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/155656
Citation
Omayio, Duke G., et al. "Current status of guava (Psidium guajava L) production, utilization, processing and preservation in Kenya: A review." Current Agriculture Research Journal 7.3 (2019): 318.Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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