Question

Why is sugar added to the mango pulp while making Mamidi tandra?

Answer 1

Hint: Mamidi tandra is made from mangoes so that it can be eaten at a later time. Mamidi tandra is another name for a common delicacy called Aam Papad. It is eaten around the year by people all over the country.

Complete answer: It is a solidified version of mango jelly. The main purpose of making such a dish is to make it storable.
Sugar is a very efficient preservative. If a sufficient amount of sugar is added to a food item, it can be preserved for a good period of time. The addition of sugar prevents spoilage of food. The high concentration of sugar acts as a hypertonic solution for bacteria.
So, they will not be able to survive in the food because the water from the body of bacteria will come out in order to make the conditions isotonic. Since it is not possible to make isotonic conditions by the water of a single cell, all the water will rush out, leading to cell death. This property is used to preserve food items that are otherwise perishable.

Some perishable items and their corresponding preserved items are mentioned in the table below-

S. No.	Perishable food items	Preserved items	Method of Preservation
1.	Mango	PickleMamita Tandra (Aam Papad)Jam	Salt and OilSugarSugar
2.	Tomato	Sauce	Salt and removal of moisture
3.	Apple	Jam	Sugar
4.	Pomegranate	Jam	Sugar
5.	Papaya	Jam	Sugar
6.	Grapes	Jam	Sugar
7.	Lemon	Pickle	Salt and Oil
8.	Turnip and other similar vegetables	Dried turnip and other similar vegetables	Removal of moisture

Additional information: In order to increase the shelf life of food items, apart from sugar, other methods like salting, adding oil, drying, etc. are also used.

Note: All these methods use natural products and nothing of synthetic origin is used. Some other methods of preservation use chemical preservatives.