Introduction

Pickles are products produced for generations as a way to preserve fruits and vegetables.
The purpose of this study is to provide new base knowledge regarding the pickle industry
in Malaysia. One hundred and twenty nine respondents from a group of pickle
manufacturers were interviewed using questionnaires. These manufacturers obtained
their supplies of raw materials from farms, supermarkets or from their own crops.
However, due to the small scale production and its seasonal nature, the manufacturers
also sourced raw materials from farmers’ markets or night markets in small quantities
according to their current manufacturing requirement. Some of the raw materials such as
mango, kelubi and salak are imported from Indonesia or Thailand. The study found that
89% of the manufacturers do not use machineries when making pickle.

The majority of manufacturers, that is 91.40% from the total surveyed, pickled the fruits
and vegetables in brine solution. More than half of the respondents added citiric acid to
the brine solution during the pickling process. From the findings of this survey,
manufacturers believed that mango pickles have the potential for further development in
the future and is the consumer favourite right now. Even though Sabah has its own special
pickle, compared to other states in Malaysia, there are not many pickle manufacturers
there.

Diagram 1
 Definition of Pickle Products

(a) Made from fruits, vegetables, cereal, legumes, spices and edible flavouring.

(b) Subject to fermentation and processing with ingredients appropriate for the type in

order to ensure that the quality of the product is maintained.

(c) Processed in an appropriate manner in order to ensure the quality and proper

preservation of the product.

(d) Packed in suitable packaging medium compatible with the types and varieties of

pickles.

Criteria for Pickle Quality

Colour

Product must be free from any added colouring

Taste

Product must have the characteristics of the typical taste. It must be free

from any unpleasant taste or flavouring

 The Quality and Quantity of Supplies

Pickle production needs fresh produce from farms or fresh produce markets. These
sources must meet certain criteria such as grade, price and quantity. However, in pickle
production, the study found that grade is not an important procurement criterion because
the product’s shelf life would be extended and product taste improved after the pickling
process. The study also found that the reason why there is no specific grade for raw
material selection is that the fruits or vegetables do not have to be uniform in shape or
size when they are processed. No machineries are used in the process to retain the
traditional way the product is prepared. With manual labour used during the peeling,
cutting and cleaning process, the size and cut of the pickles are not standardised; hence
measurement is only by weight.

In terms of quantity of raw materials purchased, most manufacturers could not provide
the exact numbers because the source of fruit and vegetable supplies is seasonal. Festive
seasons affected the demand and supply at the source. However, major manufacturers
such as in Kedah and Penang most likely obtained their supplies on a monthly basis as
shown in Table 13. The purchase price is the price paid by the manufacturers when they
buy from suppliers or hypermarkets in bulk.
The most popular sour fruit of Malaysia is Buah kedondong.Its ID is Spondias dulcis,also
known as Ambara in Malaysia,June plum in Jamaica.Its common name is golden apple
or tropical apple.

Diagram 2

Buah kudondong,Spondias dulcis

The mature fruit is crunchy,tastes sourish sweet with a very fibrous and spiky pit.The fruit
is green and on ripening turns yellow.The ripe fruit is sweeter and more juicy than the
green fruit but less crunchy.It is best described as a mix of a mango and pineapple.Most
people would eat the ripe fruits raw and leave some of the green fruits for pickles or eaten
raw with rojak,gado-gado or sambal belacan.When we were young,we used to eat this
fruit with thick soya sauce and sugar,especially when the fruits were too sour.Some locals
cook this fruit in curry which tastes like terung dayak (local brinjal) in hot and sour soup.
 Diagram 3

Buah kedondong eaten raw with plum powder and thick soya sauce.Notice the spiky pit.

Pickled kedondong is very popular in Penang and Sarawak.They are often sold at the
roadside stalls in cities and towns of Malaysia.They are pickled in the Chinese way,that
is ,the fruits are soaked in brine and a few strips of licorice are added.This make the fruits
look yellowish and taste sweeter too.
 Mango Pickles (Jeruk Mangga)

Whenever my family made a trip to Penang, it's not difficult to decide what souvenir to get
for our family & friends back home. Without fail, I would buy for them fruit pickles. In fact,
a visit to Penang is not complete without a visit to the Chowrasta Market area where there
are several fruit-pickle shops. The last time I was there, I noticed there were more shops
selling them.

Diagram 4

Although I'm quite certain that fruit pickles don't originate from Penang, for some reasons,
which I can only guess, Penang is always associated with fruit pickles or vise versa. One
reason could be because they are cheaper compared to the ones sold in other states in
Malaysia or even Singapore. Another reason could be because of the quality, which I
learnt recently. Just a few days ago when I was at Pasar Larkin in JB, I saw a stall selling
fruit pickles, among other things. The stallholder explained that fruit pickles from Penang,
compared to the ones produced in other states or Indonesia, taste better because they do
not have the unpleasant aftertaste caused by the chemical used.

Diagram 5

I'm not a big fan of fruit pickles, so I rarely buy them. I've also never thought of making
them at home until I saw my favourite chef made some last year. I made them soon after
I saw her post but didn't manage to post it here. I made them again a few days ago. These
pickles don't resemble the store-bought ones but they are definitely healthier!
 Mango Pickles (Jeruk Mangga)
Recipe by Nur Afiqah Iwani

Ingredients:
8 young mangoes
2-3 tbsp coarse salt
a pinch of lime paste*
water* (* mix)

Sugar syrup:
1½ cup sugar
2 cups water
Combine sugar & water in a pot & boil. Set aside to cool. (You may add more sugar
syrup if you like sweeter pickles.)

Method:
1. Peel & slice mangoes lengthwise.
2. Sprinkle salt on mango slices in a big bowl and mix well.
3. Place it in a container. Fill with water* until fully covered.
4. Leave for one or two days until the colour changes to slightly yellowish.
Then discard water & rinse mango slices if too salty.
5. Pour sugar syrup into the container of mango slices.
6. Store in fridge overnight to allow sugar to fully absorb into mango slices
before serving.
Addition: I observed that after a week, the water turned slightly murky & the pickles
tasted much better. So do wait a few days before consuming them. I threw the water
away once it turned murky & store the pickles in the container without the water.

CONCLUSION

Pickle production is an established industry in Malaysia and is still popular among food
producers. It is observed that from the emergence of manufacturers with two to fiveyears’
experience, there are new entrants in this industry. Those that have been in the industry
for more than 20 years still prevail. Demand for this product will normally increase during
school holidays and wedding seasons. The study found that majority of manufacturers
marketed their products directly to consumers, and usually obtained the services of
wholesalers or retailers to a lesser extent. The source of raw materials is from domestic
sources, normally from their own crop. However, some fruits such as salak and kelub do
not have adequate supplies domestically and have to be imported from Indonesia or
Thailand. This may open opportunities to plant more salak and kelubi domestically. Unlike
other states in Malaysia, Sabah has its own traditional pickles, namely tuhau and
bambangan made by the Kadazan indigenous community. The supplies of raw materials
for these pickles are from their own farms. The pickle industry has good potential to be
developed further with the support of the relevant agencies by addressing the problems
of inconsistent raw material supply, logistic and marketing as well as issues on lack of
man power.

There are several limitations to this study. The major problem faced was in obtaining
information from the manufacturers since pickle production is seasonal in nature and
there was poor record-keeping. Issues on hygienic in the production areas are also
important to address and more studies should be carried out to identify other issues and
constraint faced by the industry.