Ginger from Manipur

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belonging to the family Zingiberaceae is one of the most widely used dietary condiment all over the world. It is a herbaceous perennial with rhizomes as its economic part. Aromatic and pungent in nature, ginger adds a special flavor to a number of food products and has been a common ingredient in many cuisines since centuries. Its spicy aroma is mainly due to the presence of ketones, especially the gingerols, which have a significant important in food and health-related applications.

Ginger is also commonly used to treat motion sickness, morning sickness, colic, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, loss of appetite, pain relief from rheumatoid arthritis, menstrual pain, respiratory tract infections, cough respiratory problems, migraine headache, bronchitis, diabetes, etc.

Uses and Processing Opportunities

Ginger rhizome can be consumed fresh, powdered dried as a spice, oil form, or as juice. Besides various industries like food processing, pharmaceuticals, beverages, meat-canning, confectionery, soap manufacturing, tobacco processing, etc. also require ginger as raw material. Ginger can be processed into dry ginger, bleached dry ginger, ginger powder, ginger oil, ginger oleoresin, ginger ale, ginger, candy, ginger beer, brined ginger, ginger wine, ginger squash, ginger flakes, ginger syrup, etc. Ginger powder can be used as condiment/flavouring agent in salad dressings, tomato ketchup and sauce, pickles, gravies, meat sausages, curry dishes etc. Ginger oil are used for flavouring of beverages, confectionery, perfumes and as a fragrance ingredient in soaps and cosmetics.

Variety Grown and Availability in Manipur

Fibre-less ginger variety possessing slender rhizome is popular for its lemony flavour with less fibre and high gingerol content. The size of rhizome is medium to bold and yellowish in colour. It is widely used in both fresh and processed form.