Oils and fats are a vital component of hu-man diet because they are an important source of energy. Oilseed crops and their products are the second most valuable commodity in the World Trade. Groundnut, a major oilseed, is a crop of global economic significance not only in the widespread geographical areas of its production but also in the even wider areas of its processing and consumption. India is a major producer of this crop.
This profusely illustrated book, written in simple style, gives information on multiple uses of groundnut and its impact on Indian oilseed economy. The book also focusses on the history, charactristics of the plant, genetic improvement and utilization of groundnut.
Dr (Mrs) Raj D. Kak is working as a scientist with the Publications & Information Di-rectorate, CSIR, New Delhi since 1971 and has written many articles on Medicinal and other useful plants for the Wealth of India -Raw Material Series an encyclopadia of Indian Raw Materials. She has also many re-search and popular papers to her credit. Groundnut in India is her first book.
Plants greatly support not only the three basic necessities of life-food, clothing and shelter but also a host of other useful requirements for human sustenance. These plants and their products are dealt with in great detail in the encyclopaedic series The Wealth of India Raw Materials. The information on some of the major plant species dealt with in this series is now brought out in a popular book form under the new series entitled "Encyclopaedia of Natural Wealth of India". Groundnut in India is the third book in this series.
Fat/oil is an important and expensive item in human nutrition. In order to derive the desired sensory attributes of cooked food fats/oils are used in a number of ways in our diets, for seasoning, frying, salad dressings, baking and pickle making. Apart from culinary functions, dietary fats provide energy, assist in absorption and transportation of vitamins, help maintain body temperature at constant level, and are a source of essential fatty acids (EFA) which have a wide range of functions in our body.
Groundnut is one of the major oilseeds grown in India. Out of the nine oilseed crops grown in India, groundnut accounts for 46% of the total area under oilseeds cultivation and 59% of the total oilseed production. As such, the edible oilseed economy in India is primarily dependent upon groundnut production.
Commonly known as poor man's badam, groundnut finds a wide range of uses not only in the daily life but also in various industries. It constitutes the most important source of edible oil in India. Besides the extraction of oil groundnut is also used in developing a number of edible and industrial products. Information on these products is given in this book.
The list of references given as "books for further reading" at the end of the book will provide information to those who are interested to know more details about this oilseed.
This book, hopefully, would benefit laymen and entrepreneurs alike.
In In the present era of fatphobia, fats have been unnecessarily condemned for being responsible for a variety of ailments and people are, therefore, drastically cutting down the fats intake without realising the useful functions which fats control in our body. It is well known fact that human beings derive their energy from the three major nutrients proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The diets of people from most countries provide an average of 10% calories from proteins: the non-protein energy amounting to about 90% of the total comes from fats and carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-yielding cereals form the most important food group; fats come a close second, as they are a concentrated reserve of energy. Fats have the highest available energy density 9 Kcal/g as compared to 4 Kcal/g proteins and carbohydrates. It is pity that concepts linking protein with body growth have dominated nutritional thinking at the cost of less attention to fats in dietaries. Fats not only make food tastier but also add to a feeling of satisfaction, flavour and seasoning of foods. Fats act as carriers for, and facilitate the absorption of fatsoluble vitamins A,-D,-E and -K. Fats of vegetable origin make important contribution to the balanced fatty acid composition of the total fat consumed. Vegetable fats provide the body with a specific group of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), the essential fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acid which form an indispensible element in all cell membranes. Their deficiency in the membranes leads to the decreased functioning of the cells. These essential fatty acids are obtained from the diet, as most of the animals including man are not able to synthesize these in their bodies. They are also the precursors of certain physiologically active compounds which regulate many functions of the body. The composition of fatty acids in fat or oil plays an important role in promoting growth, correcting deficiencies, maintaining skin health, regulating cardiovascular system, and minimizing degenerative metabolic diseases. In order to attain a balanced fatty acid composition attention should be paid to the amount of saturated and polyunsaturated acids present in the oil. Some of the vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. In India, vegetable fats constitute the major, and in most cases the only, source of fat intake considering the vegetarian habit of a majority of Indians. Vegetable oil resources, the oilseeds, account for about 70% of the world's total edible fat production. Groundnut is one of the major oilseed crops of the world.
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