Phytochemical Characterization, Extraction Optimization, and Multi-Tier Techno-Economics of Tamarindus indica and Terminalia chebula Biomass in Chhattisgarh, India: An Interdisciplinary Agro-Industrial Framework
Aditya Raj Gupta
*
Department of Commerce, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Government College, Jobi-Barra, Kharsia, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, PIN-496665, India.
Shweta Kumbhaj
Department of Chemistry, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Government College, Jobi-Barra, Kharsia, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, PIN-496665, India.
Anjali Verma
Department of Botany, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, PIN-495009, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) constitute the socioeconomic backbone of forest-fringe tribal communities in Chhattisgarh, India. However, traditional post-harvest supply chains for Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarind) and Terminalia chebula Retz. (Harra) are plagued by distress sales of raw produce, microbial spoilage, and severe value leakage. This study presents an integrated bioeconomy model bridging silvicultural harvest phenology (Botany), standardised ultrasonic-assisted solid-liquid green extraction (Chemistry), and multi-tier discounted cash flow (DCF) enterprise economics (Commerce).
Botanical evaluations across Bastar Plateau, Bilaspur, and Raigarh agro-climatic zones revealed substantial morphometric and yield variations, with usable pulp fractions ranging from 50.8% to 54.2% in T. indica and pericarp fractions ranging from 66.5% to 70.1% in T. chebula. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-DAD) coupled with spectrophotometric assays confirmed optimal yields of crystallised pharmaceutical-grade tartaric acid (14.2 ± 0.6% w/w) and high-methoxyl pectin (4.8 ± 0.3%) from T. indica, alongside potent hydrolysable tannins (38.4 ± 1.8% dry pericarp) dominated by chebulinic acid (16.2 ± 0.7%) and chebulagic acid (11.4 ± 0.5%) from T. chebula.
Techno-economic modelling gives annual gross revenue of ₹203.48 lakh and annual pre-tax operating cash flow of ₹133.08 lakh. At the stated installed capacity of 1.5 MT/day over 220 operating days, theoretical annual throughput is 330 MT; the budgeted 180 MT therefore represents 54.5% capacity utilisation. assumptions. Value-chain calculations show producer-margin increases of 70.3% for tamarind and 115.0% for harra under the cooperative route.
Keywords: Tamarindus indica, Terminalia chebula, tartaric acid, chebulinic acid, minor forest produce, Techno-Economic Feasibility, Chhattisgarh Bioeconomy