Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Surface coated – fluid encapsulated – laminated solid... – Readily identifiable fruit or vegetable derived
Patent
1998-06-22
2000-12-12
Cano, Milton
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Surface coated, fluid encapsulated, laminated solid...
Readily identifiable fruit or vegetable derived
426541, 426615, A23B 716
Patent
active
061595128
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a method and a composition for preserving exposed fresh fruit and is particularly directed to a method and a composition for preventing enzymatic browning, microbial spoilage, reducing deterioration and/or extending the shelf life of peeled, damaged, cut or segmented fresh fruit pieces intended for chilled storage, distribution, marketing or further processing.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Fresh cut and segmented fruit pieces have traditionally been marketed for further processing or manufacturing (e.g., pie filling or canning). It has more recently become popular for restaurants, fast-food establishments and institutions such as hospitals, prisons and the army to purchase fresh chilled "ready-to-use" fruit and vegetables to reduce labor costs and facilitate portion control in their operations. Some supermarkets are now providing salad bars where customers can prepare their own salads from freshly cut fruit and vegetables. However, fruit salad ingredients such as fresh cut and segmented apple, pear, nashi and banana pieces will show physical signs of deterioration, particularly enzymatic browning and microbial spoilage in a fairly short period of time (i.e. 1-3 days). Retail marketing of prepacked cut and segmented fresh fruit pieces could increase in the future provided the shelf life of this fruit can be extended beyond 7 days. An opportunity also exists in exporting fresh chilled fruit pieces if the shelf life could be at least 7 days under chilled or refrigerated conditions (1-6.degree. C.).
As browning is an oxidative reaction it can be retarded by the elimination or reduction of oxygen from the cut surface of the fruit. However, browning will still occur when oxygen is reintroduced. Most of the currently available methods or compositions for inhibiting discolouration in fresh cut fruit pieces are used in conjunction with vacuum packaging, gas packaging or other similar techniques. AU 607200 describes a process based on gas packaging fresh fruit pieces in a high gas barrier container with a gas mixture containing carbon dioxide, oxygen and other inert gases such as helium, argon and hydrogen. This process has various limitations including reliance on package integrity, fermentation of the product under temperature abuse conditions and the high costs of gas packaging equipment and packaging materials.
Reduction of oxygen is possible by treating fresh uncut fruit with surfactants as described in EP 0275710. This process has limited application to fresh cut fruit pieces because the oxygen barrier may only be temporary. The use of surfactants in fresh cut fruits are not permitted by food regulatory bodies in most countries.
A more popular approach for the prevention of browning in fresh cut and segmented fruit and vegetables has been the use of antibrowning agents. Antibrowning agents are compounds that either act primarily on enzymes or the substrates and/or products of enzymatic catalysis in a manner which inhibits pigment formation. Antibrowning agents which have been previously disclosed for use in preventing color deterioration include ascorbic and other edible acids, sodium phosphates, sodium ascorbate, potassium ascorbate and sulphites.
The most widespread methodology used to control browning in fresh cut fruit and vegetables is the addition of sulphites. Although sulphites are very effective in the inhibition of enzymatic browning reactions, there are several negative attributes associated with their use in food. Sulphites are known to cause adverse health effects, especially in certain sensitive individuals such as asthmatics. Sulphites can also give negative effects on the taste of food. In the United States of America, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned sulphites for use in fresh salad bars. The use of sulphites in Australia is currently permitted only on fresh cut and segmented fruit pieces intended for manufacturing or further processing. However, more manufacturers and processors are now giving preference to
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Australian Food Industry Science Centre
Cano Milton
Dauerman Sherry A.
LandOfFree
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