Sugar-free Mangoes for Diabetics introduced in Pakistan

Team Udayavani, Jun 26, 2021, 1:20 PM IST

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A Pakistani expert has introduced three varieties of sugar-free mangoes with a 4 to 6 percent sugar level which is ideal for people with diabetes, who otherwise could not relish the summery fruit because of its high sugary content.

The sugar-free mangoes were introduced following a scientific modification by a mango expert at a private agriculture farm called M H Panhwar Farms in Sindh’s Tando Allahyar. The mangoes, named Sonaro, Glenn, Keitt, are priced at around Rs 150 per kilogram and are available at the local stores in Pakistan.

M H Panhwar’s nephew and a mango expert Ghulam Sarwar told ARY News, “The Government of Pakistan had conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Mr Panhwar for his research related to fruits including mangoes and banana. After his death, I continued his work and carried out modification after importing different genres of mangoes [from foreign countries] to test its growth in this atmosphere and soil.”

He said the project is being run on a personal basis without any assistance from the government and that there are 44 mango qualitative varieties available in their 300-acre farm including late, mid and early varieties.

According to Sarwar, he focused on finding new techniques to increase the fruit’s shelf life, control the sugar level for diabetics as well as improve production to introduce new varieties.

The sugar level in Keitt variety is the lowest at 4.7 percent while Sonaro and Glenn have sugar level up to 5.6 percent and 6 percent respectively, he informed. Notably the other varieties that are available in the narket namely Sindhri and Chaunsa have 12 to 15 percent sugar level.