On WGSHA students’ menu — jackfruit sausages

Mangaluru: Students from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA, Manipal), are working on the commercial launch of ‘Jackwurst- better off the meat curse’. There is an increase in the number of people cutting down on meat/ dairy and going vegan. This has inspired a group of five students to experiment on sausages from raw jackfruit.
Sanjana Apte, final year degree student at WGSHA, said their aim is to work on a product that is unique and has a universal appeal. “Raw jackfruit is a popular food used extensively by generations owing to its health benefits. Since jackfruit is a superfood and a lot of people are going vegetarian these days, we decided to develop a unique dish. Researchers worldwide are exploring its health benefits. So far, not many chefs have experimented with jackfruit sausages in India,” she claimed.
The team of Sanjana, Sahil Joshi, Shaun D’Silva, Noah George and Pradyumn Nayak is mentored by chefs Dayanand Prabhu and Partho Pratham Seal, and supported by their HoD, chef Vasanthan Sigamany, and principal, chef Thirugnanasambantham.
Speaking on the sausage recipe, Sanjana said the star of the dish is raw jackfruit and vital wheat gluten powder. Raw jackfruit is cured with lemon juice, steamed and ingredients are added to it. The team has used cellulose casing. “The dish has received positive reviews and we will soon be sending the samples to the microbiology lab and discuss ways to increase its shelf life and to assess its nutritional value. Trials are happening simultaneously. In about two months, we are hoping to launch the product commercially,” she added.
Jackwurst received special mention at the innovation festival of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) that concluded on Saturday.