After 4 years of implementation (2019-2023), with the established technological process, the project has made an important contribution to reducing the damage rate of purple onions after harvest, while creating many new product varieties, helping to increase the value of purple onions for people.
Vinh Chau is the district with the largest purple onion cultivation in the Mekong Delta, with an area of over 6,500 hectares, of which about 5,000 hectares are used to grow commercial onions for bulbs and 1,500 hectares for seeds, with a harvest output of over 100,000 tons/year. Vinh Chau purple onions are famous for their large size, characteristic purple or light red color, large cloves, smooth skin, high crispness, spicy but not pungent smell, and a very characteristic light sweet taste when eaten. According to research by scientists, Vinh Chau purple onions contain a lot of vitamins C, B6, B9, B3, calcium and fiber, which are good for health. In particular, the essential oil in purple onions has the effect of improving cardiovascular health, helping to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, preventing arteriosclerosis and reducing the risk of stroke...
The project has developed technological processes and equipment to preserve and process purple onions from raw materials based on VietGAP standards to increase added value and sustainably develop purple onion production; developed technological processes and equipment to preserve purple onions under normal conditions (normal temperature) for a minimum of 3 months, with a damage rate of no more than 15%.
Research on preserving purple onions using new technologies will help purple onions to be consumed further, expand the market, and stabilize the market. At the same time, it will help consumers use purple onions of good quality and safety. Currently, the demand for purple onions for domestic consumption and export is very large because purple onions are almost only produced in the South, and the natural preservation time of purple onions is short. The technological process of the project can meet the needs of preservation on site as well as during transportation.
In addition, the project also built models of cooperation with businesses in testing technologies and equipment for preserving and processing purple onions from raw materials produced according to VietGAP standards in Soc Trang province: Building a preservation model at the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances in Soc Trang province with a scale of 10 tons/batch; building a model for processing some products, such as dried onion slices, onion powder, black purple onions and capsules.
The project's products have been evaluated and ranked as 3-star OCOP products by the Council, certified by Soc Trang City People's Committee. The results of the project have contributed to socio-economic growth, human resource development, and capacity of the research staffs; helping to strengthen and develop the research and production linkage among research institutes - people and production enterprises.
|