The demand for organic food is on the rise as people become more health-conscious. People are opting for the healthier choice with organic-food products. With this in mind, an agriculturist came up with a purely Capampangan concoction from the hills of Xevera, Mabalacat—the mango cider vinegar.
This innovation is the brainchild of the Mabalacat City Agricultural Office’s High-Value Crop Development Program, headed by its coordinator Alex C. Layson, who conceived the idea through an integrated pest-management seminar involving mango farmers.
Mabalacat City Agriculturist Lourdes Balatibat said the mango cider vinegar is the “output of the training of trainers on crop management on mango.”
The seminar was organized by Jardine Distribution Inc. (JDI), a wholesale distributor of agricultural and applied construction chemicals with an institutionalized program, called “BiyahEdukasyon,” exclusively offered to its partner-farmers.
During the seminar, Layson said he took interest in the mango’s sour attribute. “I realized that mangoes that fall on the ground are just wasted because they cannot be sold in the market anymore even if they retain their characteristic taste,” he said.
This led to three years of study and research that culminated in the birth of the mango cider vinegar.
Layson said the main question in their study was how to make the byproduct safe for human consumption.
The answer lies in combining the mangoes with brown sugar and hot water, then fermenting it from 14 to 28 days, said Layson. After the fermentation process, the residue is removed. It can be used up to three times to make new batches, he said.
To make sure that the extract is completely safe for human consumption, it is boiled to kill the microbes, Layson explained. This procedure is the last step before it is bottled up with spices like garlic, chili peppers and ginger, he added.
Marita A. Carlos, officer in charge of the Applied Communication Division (ACD) of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, visited the mango farm at the hills of Xevera to sample its intriguing taste. Carlos noted it can go head to head with the imported apple cider vinegar.
Because of Layson’s generosity when it comes to teaching others his method of vinegar making, the mango vinegar is now available in the cities of Angeles and San Fernando, Santo Domingo in Tarlac, and Pangasinan province. Soon, it will be available in other parts of Central Luzon and Quezon City.
Certified by the Department of Agriculture, the mango vinegar, which is sold at P30 to P45, gives consumers a “new twist” as it has a hint of sweetness that Filipinos will surely enjoy.