I gulped the remaining chilled mango juice which really quenched my thirst in the hot weather.
Temperatures were beyond 40 celcius.
I just had lunch at a friend’s restaurant and the icing on the cake was a glass of sweet, chilled mango juice.
I’ve always had a love for mangoes.
While growing up, we had two humongous mango trees just outside our home and they really delivered the goods when needed.
You see, I lived in an estate and during the mango season, these trees dropped ripe mangoes even on the heads of strangers as they walked past them.
These were good surprises which endeared these trees to us.
Of course over time, they were cut down to pave way for ‘urban development’.
They were fast replaced by large buildings.
MANGO GLUT
During this mango season, I occasionally walk through my local market and notice the fruits packed in large batches – sometimes containing over fifty fruits.
As much as the produce looked attractive, it didn’t fetch much price wise.
Mango farmers have always had a struggle to make ends meet simply because of the glut during the high seasons.
However, in nations like Kenya, forward-thinking leaders like the former governor of Makueni county have established a mango processing plant to add value to the produce.
Prof. Kivutha Kibwana is one unique Kenyan leader who always put the interests of peasant farmers ahead of his own.
And because of this, there’s some level of success in the mango story in Makueni county.
But that’s not the case in many other areas where mangoes are the cash crop.
Rotting heaps of the fruit release a alcoholic stench which is hard to ignore.
But why should mango farmers throw away a fruit which has the potential of giving us at least three high value products?
So what are we talking about here?
Let’s set aside the fruit juice and pulp for a minute.
We already know the value they bring to the table.
But what about the peels, seed cover and seed kernels?
What about the rotting fruit pulp itself?
STARCH
When you crack open a mango seed cover, you expose the seed kernel, a white or creamish-colored core of the seed.
The mango seed kernel contains considerable amounts of starch, which could be extracted.
But why is it important?
Well, a couple of reasons.
First, starch is a carbohydrate meaning that it’s food that could be eaten.
Secondly, it’s a raw material for manufacture of bioplastics.
Last but not least, it’s a good binder for making livestock feeds.
All these products are derived from the mango seed kernel.
But to get to the kernel, we must remove the seed cover.
So what do we do with the seed cover?
PARTICLE BOARDS
The mango seed cover is rich in fibre.
If it’s dried, pulverised into smaller size then mixed with wood glue.
This could be used to make particle boards used in furniture making and construction.
The high fibre value of the seed covering could also be used to make mats or rugs.
But remember that we’ve been talking about a mango glut.
During a glut, we have an excess of mango pulp, peels and seeds.
We’ve already seen some possible products from seeds.
What could we conjure up from mango pulp and peels – apart from juices and jams?
VEGAN LEATHER
Leather as we know it is big business.
However several challenges exist.
These include over exploitation of livestock for hides and skins and environmental impact of tanning chemicals especially chromium.
Besides, a significant demographic conscious about a vegan lifestyle is emerging.
Because of this, vegan leather is slowly gaining prominence and mango waste is a possible raw material for its production.
The excess fruit pulp could be mixed with pulverised peels, then a binder added.
The mixture could be spread onto flat surfaces before being treated with vegetable tanning agents and waxed for water proofing.
After drying, the vegan leather could be cut into pieces
Several companies like Handbagio are doing vegan leather production at a commercial scale.
IN CONCLUSION
What are we saying in a few words?
Opportunities exist around us in the form of what’s abundant.
A mango glut shouldn’t mean abandoning the fruit altogether.
It just might need some innovation to convert the excess into something of value.
And that’s what the circular economy is all about.
