**1. Introduction**

Palmyrah (*Borassus flabellifer* L.) belongs to very ancient family of trees *i.e* Arecaceae and order Arecales. Palmyrah is also known as toddy palm and sugar palm. It is a tropical palm tree which is easily cultivated and also found to grow wild. It is native to Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia. It is widely cultivated from Western India through Indo-china to the lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Socotra, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand and Vietnam.

Palmyrah (*Borassus flabellifer* L.) belongs to family Arecaceae and order Arecales. Palmyrah belongs to very ancient family of trees. Palmyrah is also known as toddy palm and sugar palm. It is a tropical palm tree which is easily cultivated and also found to grow wild. It is native to Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia. It is widely cultivated from Western India through Indo-china to the lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Socotra, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand and Vietnam. **1.2 Red skin fruits**

skin fruits.

(**Figure 1**).

**Figure 1.**

**209**

*Palmyrah palm distribution in Worldwide and India.*

Variable amount of black pigment observed on the fruit skin. Fruit yield per tree is significantly high. Pulp, sugar and starch content are less when compared to black

*Scope, Nutritional Importance and Value Addition in Palmyrah…*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97501*

Both the black skin and red skin fruits are recorded for essential amino acids, lysine and methionine. In view of the fruit characters and sap yield the red skinned fruit varieties are seemed to favour for selection for commercial exploitation

In order to prevent huge quantitative as well as qualitative losses in horticultural crops like plantation crops (cashew nut, areca nut, tea, coffee, oil palm, coconut and Palmyrah palm - as these are consumed mostly after the processing) all steps of improved postharvest technology must be carefully implemented from harvesting and ending with consumption and utilization of their products (value added products). In spite of adequate food production, there is existence of hunger and malnutrition. That might be due to the result of uneven distribution of food, losses and deterioration of available food produce. Hence, maximum utilization of available

The name borassus was derived from a Greek word means leathery covering of the fruit and the word flabellifer means Fan bearer. *Borassus flabellifer* is a robust tree that can live more than 100 years and reach the height of 50 to 60 meters. These can be grown in waste lands, farm filed boundaries, sea costs, parks, industrial estates and house colonies. The trunk is grey, robust and old leaves remain attached to the trunk for several years before falling cleanly. The leaves are look like fan-shaped and it grow up to 3 meters long with robust black teeth on the petiole margins. The palmyrah palm throws out spathes during the flowering season and on tapping the young inflorescence a clear, transparent, sweet, pleasant smelling and refreshing and popular drink called *neera* is obtained with high nutritive value, delicious taste and agreeable flavor. The tapping of *neera* and making it into sugar candy was observed by Chinese traveler Magestanes. The different parts of the plant such as roots, leaves, seeds and fruits are used for various purposes. Now a day's palm trees are being cut by people because of not knowing the medical and commercial values.

In India, palmyrah adorns the dry landscape of the semi arid regions of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Currently, palmyrah palm wealth of India is estimated as 102 million palms and half of them are in Tamil Nadu. Out of 51.90 million palms in Tamil Nadu, more than 50% of palms are concentrated in the Southern district of Thoothukudi [1]. Government of Tamil Nadu in the year 1978 recognized Palmyrah as State Tree.

Mccurrah [2] enlisted the following 7 species under the genus Borassus (**Table 1**).

Based on the pigmentation of fruit skin Palmyrah palm can be broadly classified into two varieties.

1.Black skin fruits

2.Red skin fruits

#### **1.1 Black skin fruits**

Less red pigment is found on the fruit skin. Yield is less but superior seedlings with more starch content and less fibre content noticed. Pulp extraction process is easier. Alkaloids, minerals and free amino acids are lesser than red coloured fruits.


**Table 1.** *Species of Borassus.* *Scope, Nutritional Importance and Value Addition in Palmyrah… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97501*
