| The Far West Bulletin Spring 1996
NEW EDIBLE COATINGS FOR FRUIT PRODUCTS The Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California, has entered into a CRADA with Alpha Food Ingredients of Evanston, Illinois, to evaluate new edible coatings for fruit products made from pureed fruit. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are developing a process that combines pureed apricots, pears and peaches with various gelling agents, such as starch, to form tasty fruit pieces. The coating will help the fruit pieces stay moist and last longer. The goal is to increase consumers' fruit consumption by using restructured fruit pieces as ingredients in ice cream, baked goods or other products, or as alternatives to candy. By pureeing perishable fruit at harvest time, fruit pieces can be produced throughout the year. Alpha Foods licensed technology from Argonne National laboratory to apply the novel high-molecular-weight polylactic acid coating to foods. ARS scientists are determining the barrier properties of these novel coatings and investigating the effects of the coatings on the color, texture and shelf-life of the fruit products. For more information, contact Tara McHugh, (510) 559-5864. |