Effect of girth of Acacia catechu trees on recovery of katha through traditional method of extraction

Khair (Acacia catechu Willd) is a deciduous tree containing dark red heartwood inside the sapwood and belongs to the family Fabaceae. It yields mainly two products Katha and cutch which have many medicinal benefits and industrial uses. Katha is an indispensable ingredient of Paan preparations in India. The present study was carried out in Ratnagiri district of Konkan region of Maharashtra state to assess the Katha yield using traditional method of extraction. The heartwood of Khair was divided into different girth classes viz up to 30 cm, 30 to 40 cm and 40 to 50 cm. The extraction of Katha was done by chipping and boiling of heartwood. The results revealed that the recovery of Katha ranged from 5.06 to 6.68 per cent with overall recovery of 5.97 per cent. The maximum recovery was reported in the girth class 40 to 50 cm while minimum in girth class up to 30 cm. The study showed that as the girth of heartwood increased the recovery of Katha was also increased.