Verjuice Preparation

Technology Details:
To improve bunch and berry quality of table grapes, thinning of premature berries is practiced widely. These thinned berries are not utilized in any form, despite having protein, carbohydrates, acids, etc. However, in European countries, these thinned berries are utilized for making a product that is sour in nature and used for different culinary purposes. Verjuice, also known as "green juice" which is originated in ancient Persian region, where it was extracted from unripe grapes. It is a popular souring agent for dishes before it was gradually replaced by lemon juice. It plays an important role in the culinary world as a sour flavor enhancer for sauces and dishes and served as an important preservative to extend the shelf life of various type of foods. It was often used in medieval cuisine to improve the flavor of meat dishes and give them a pleasant acidic taste. The verjuice is also ideal for deglazing cooking residues and refining meat dishes. With its subtle but complex flavor profile, verjuice is also suitable as an ingredient for refreshing cocktails and mocktails. Due to its versatile application verjuice is an exciting ingredient in the kitchen and in the world of mixology. As India is mainly a table grape producing country and generate a lot of premature thinned berries as waste. These thinned berries are not utilized for any purpose except limited supply to alcohol producing units. Hence, there are opportunities to utilize this waste in producing verjuice, ensuring profitable viticulture by utilizing the waste to value addition and certainly provide a sustainable product to food industry.