Fresh-cut apple slices should be available soon to consumers nationwide, thanks to collaborative research between ARS and Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc., Attleboro, MA. The packaged, refrigerated slices last 2 to 3 weeks without browning or losing crispness. Schoolchildren and some consumers already enjoy the new apple treat, and the company plans to expand its distribution nationwide this year. The key discovery by ARS researchers was that certain calcium salts protect apple slices from color, taste, or texture changes. Scientists at Mantrose-Haeuser took the ARS findings and created a proprietary formulation using FDA-approved vitamins and minerals. They are marketing the product under the trade name NatureSeal for use by fresh-cut processors and food-service industries. The equipment necessary to peel, core and slice the apples already exists. The team has patented its methods (Patent No. 5939177).

Process Chemistry and Engineering Research Unit, Albany, CA
Dominic Wong, (510) 559-5621, dwsw@pw.usda.gov
Attila Pavlath, (510) 559-5620, apavlath@pw.usda.gov

Adding a smidgen of oat oil to bread dough could be the secret to making heart-healthy bread that's soft and has an increased loaf size and longer shelf life. Until now, U.S. bakers have ensured these qualities in most bread by using recipes that include about 3 percent vegetable shortenings and other additives. But oat oil may be a healthier alternative because it doesn't contain trans fatty acids. Studies indicate that trans fatty acids can raise cholesterol levels in some people. Oat oil is rich in phospholipids and glycolipids, also called polar lipids. ARS scientists found that this type of oil combines with water to lubricate bread dough, helping it rise evenly and bake into a loaf that is uniformly soft and springy, even after several days of storage. Replacing pure oat oil with just 0.5 percent polar lipids taken from oat oil achieved the same result. Polar lipids worked better in bread made from hard red winter wheat flour—the flour from which most bread is made—than in bread from more costly hard red spring wheat flour. Because of their high gluten content, doughs made from hard red winter wheat flour need less shortening to increase loaf volume. Currently, the most highly valued major component of oats is the bran. Oat oil, which comprises about 6 percent of most dehulled oats, now is rarely sold as a commercial product. The new findings about oat oil and breads could potentially lead to a new market for oats.

Cereal Crops Research, Fargo, ND
Douglas C. Doehlert, (701) 239-1413, doehlertd@fargo.ars.usda.gov

Incorporating modified rice starch and other rice ingredients into wheat-based doughnuts, like cake doughnuts, could cut oil absorption during frying by as much as 70 percent. That's the implication of ARS research in which scientists analyzed the oil content of doughnuts made from all-wheat doughs and a wheat/rice mixture. Wheat is a popular commercial dough and batter ingredient for fried foods because it forms a crisp, tasty, golden coat. Researchers have found that the rice ingredients they're testing will do the same, but with the added benefit of reducing oil, which adds more fat to foods like doughnuts during frying. In trials, scientists fried and then analyzed different batches of doughnuts. One group consisted of plain, 100-gram, all-wheat doughnuts. The other group was made from rice/wheat dough. Compared to the all-wheat doughnuts, which had 24 to 26 grams of oil, the rice/wheat ones had as little as 8 grams. Used commercially, the approach could expand market outlets for rice and ease some consumer concern associated with eating doughnuts, which generate $4 to $5 billion in annual sales.

Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research Unit, New Orleans, LA
Fred Shih, (504) 285-4354, fshih@nola.srrc.usda.gov