Natural Compounds that Prevent Browning of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices

Technology Description:

The invention relates to the inhibition of enzymatic browning of raw fruit juice and/or raw vegetable juice by treating said juice with an effective anti-browning amount of at least one sulfated polysaccharide to inhibit browning. A promoter may also be present, which is selected from the group consisting of chelating agents, acidulents, or mixtures thereof. When fruit and vegetable skin is pierced, oxygen accelerates a natural chemical breakdown in cells, causing browning. This can be extremely costly to industries processing fruit and vegetable products such as pre-peeled potatoes, salad bar items and fresh fruit juices. The invention provides natural inhibitors that retard cut fruit and vegetable browning, as well as juice clouding. These natural browning inhibitors replace Food and Drug Administration-banned sulfites on some products. And, these natural browning inhibitors are superior to other sulfite substitutes that have limited effectiveness in ensuring extended protection against browning.

Reference:

Please refer to Patent Number 6,020,018, "Inhibition of Enzymatic Browning of Raw Fruit and/or Vegetable Juice," which issued February 1, 2000, and is a continuation of Patent Number 5,244,684, which issued September 14, 1993.

Inventors:

Kevin B. Hicks  Crop Conversion Science and Engineering  Wyndmoor, PA 19038-8598 (215) 233-6579 / Fax: (215) 233-6406 khicks@arserrc.gov

Cindy B. S. Tong University of Minnesota 306 Alderman Hall St. Paul, MN 55108 (612) 624-3419 / Fax: (612) 624-4941