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Last Updated: Sep 25th, 2009 - 18:15:38 |
* Lemon balm, "claimed to be a powerful antioxidant, could help protect delicate tasting foods without effecting taste". Fortunately, "the food industry,…is increasingly seeking natural solutions rather than artificial additives to extend the shelf life of milder-tasting products".
* "Mint additive could extend shelf life of meat products". The "herb spares the meat from the detrimental effects of irradiation" It would replace synthetics like butylhydroxyanisole [BHA] and butylhydroxytoluene [BHT] according to one report.
* "Rosemary packaging extends meat shelf life". "Spanish researchers have found a way to keep meat looking pink and fresh on the shelf, without the use of carbon monoxide" …"keeps meat pink for weeks". "…rosemary has been traditionally used as an antioxidant and food preservative….consumers also perceive that a bright red colour indicates freshness, wholesomeness, and good quality". Discoloration is formed by the oxidation rate of red oxymyoglobin [oxidised haemoglobin] onto metmyoglobin—which gives the meat "an unattractive brown colour".
* Rosemary is also being impregnated with collagen fibre in order to boost the antioxidant activity of this extract and will probably be used in processed meats. "Collagen preparations are produced from readily available and cheap raw material."
* "Danisco have the tools and expertise to replace mouthfeel and flavour delivery when fat and sugar are removed". they have "developed a range of emulsifier blends designed to restore processing and performance functionality to trans-free oils and fats" "Danisco is a leading manufacturer of flavours in Europe".
* How about "enzymatic bioemulsifying for bakery applications"—it offers 'texture improving enzyme ingredients. "it is a natural product that…does not have to be labelled as additive. ...makes it a great marketing tool…" ultimately it "requires a fraction of the warehouse storage space needed for emulsifiers".
* "Cranberry reduces pathogens in minced beef". "Adding cranberry concentrate to raw minced beef significantly reduces the growth of common food–borne pathogens, according to new research". It would be used against Salmonella, Listeria and E-Coli. "Cranberries offer a defence against food poisoning due to the fruit's unique ability to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria".
* Seed flours? [no, I hadn't heard of them either] from Chardonnay grapes and black raspberry "show promise as fish oil preservatives". It seems that fish oils are "notoriously difficult to incorporate into formulations since it is highly susceptible to oxidation". The use of these ethanol extracts of seed flours stop deterioration, preserve potency and inhibit microbial growth. The press release emphasized that " 'natural' is a powerful force in the food industry…" as …"there is increasing resistance at … consumer level".
* Potato waste material. Once separated out, the protein content is 27%, much higher than expected. The potato juice has several stages and is then divided "according to molecular weight…resulting in a dry food ingredient".
* Citrus pigment waste. Developed by "passing the waste through a resin and then ultra-filtration" then resulting as a natural sweetener for drinks. The researchers "used a neutral polystrene-divinylbenzene [PS-DVB] resin to recover flavanones and anthocyanin pigments". The finished product had a "low microbial count".
* …"wine waste could boost shelf life of fish"—a "…cheap and healthy alternative to synthetic antioxidants to prolong the shelf life of fish meat…" [to counter oxidation]
* Olive leaf juice as an antioxidant used to extend the frying life of oils.
* Grape seed extract. Well known in health food stores, now looked at as protection from skin cancer via stimulation of the immune system.
* …"onion extract improves flavour, shelf life of sliced meat"—using this product appears to "reduce lipid oxidation in turkey rolls over 7 days of storage…"
* "Corn fibre gum to replace gum Arabic"… Using "…alkaline extraction and alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching technique…" or similar.
* "Dried plums offer natural antioxidant alternatives for meat", "slowing oxidative spoilage as well as imparting flavour and aroma". "We found that dried plums, when pureed, actually have a very good antioxidant capacity". Worked best with minced meat and sausages; the juice appears to work better with joints.
* "Beta-carotene-rich maize boosts vitamin A in rodents". A study [using gerbils] found that "consuming maize as a staple food, using orange instead of white maize could dramatically affect vitamin A status". "…research into biofortification of plants continues to explore ways of increasing the vitamin A status…"
Lastly, for this article, I will be reporting on the use of scent to influence our purchasing food at supermarkets. In the U.S., there is "…FDA-approved food grade flavours and adding it to plastics, which then become highly aromatic". "This innovation could prove to be a valuable marketing tool for companies. Smell is increasingly being recognized as a key factor in consumer decision-making". "Research shows that we are 80% more likely to purchase a product if we can smell it" the food makers consider this a "great opportunity to use this to connect with consumers". For example, companies can develop a signature aroma that is associated with a particular brand, or encapsulate a flavour into a polymer in order to mask off-odours". "you could give consumers the perception of , say, a buttery taste by putting nbutter notes into the packaging rather than the actual product". Coming soon to UK?
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