Chlorine dioxide may prove an effective substitute for straight chlorine now used to kill microbes in icy water that preserves the freshness of chicken meat. At poultry plants, chicken carcasses are plucked and gutted before they are submerged in chiller water to cool them to 40 degrees F or lower. ARS tests confirmed that it takes about four times as much chlorine to equal chlorine dioxide's bacteria-killing effect in chiller water. Bactericides kill pathogenic microbes that cause food poisonings, such as Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter and Enterobacteriaceae. In contrast to chlorine, chlorine dioxide does not form mutagens when added to chiller water at levels as potent as chlorine. Mutagen levels are regulated because they can cause cells to change. More than 500 municipalities rely on chlorine dioxide to sanitize drinking water. The chemical has not been used since 1976 for disinfecting chiller water. The new ARS findings are included in a petition to the Food and Drug Administration to approve this use.
Food Safety and Health Research, Albany, CA
Lee S. Tsai, (510) 559-5878

Trained taste panelists couldn't detect a difference in flavor or texture between chocolates with a whipped cream filling and those with half the cream replaced by an Oatrim gel. Developed by ARS scientists, Oatrim is a fat substitute made from modified oat flour that is high in soluble fiber. When all the chocolates' cream was replaced by Oatrim, the panelists detected only a slight decrease in creamy flavor and a small difference in texture. A commercially produced, 1.4-ounce truffle with Oatrim filling contained 137 calories, 34 fewer than truffles filled with whipping cream. Oatrim, used commercially in a variety of foods, has been shown to lower cholesterol in humans. Calorie counts in Oatrim-filled candies could be lowered even further by using non-caloric sweeteners and bulking agents. (PATENT 4,996,063)
Biopolymer Research, Peoria, IL
George E. Inglett, (309) 681-6363

Sweet, juicy, Hawaiian starfruit can now be sold on the U.S. mainland. ARS scientists ran experiments with more than 2,500 starfruit, also called carambolas, and some 300,000 fruit flies. The tests proved that chilling the fruit to 34 degrees F for 12 days kills any fruit fly larvae or eggs that might be hiding inside the fruit. This precautionary chilling ensures that Mediterranean and oriental fruit flies and melon flies can't hitchhike to the mainland to attack fields and orchards. The cylinder-shaped starfruit, four to seven inches long, ripens to a bright yellow. When sliced crosswise along its soft ridges, the fruit makes a unique, star-shaped garnish or snack. Starfruit is low in calories and a good source of vitamin C and potassium. It's easy to eat fresh because it doesn't have to be peeled or seeded. Starfruit can also be added to stewed fruit dishes or used to make juices, wine, jellies, tarts and preserves.
Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Research Laboratory, Hilo, HI
John W. Armstrong, (808) 959-4336

Baby food, beer and biofuels could be produced in a fraction of the time now required. Starch from corn, barley and other grains is used as a key ingredient in making these products. ARS researchers found that a natural enzyme breaks down starch up to 10 times faster than current commercial processes. Alpha glucosidase, the speedy enzyme the researchers discovered two years ago, actually may have been used by Egyptians around 3500 B.C. to malt barley. The next step in the new enzyme research: cloning the gene that makes alpha glucosidase, then combining it with the gene for the enzyme alpha amylase. Alpha amylase holds up better under the high temperatures of processing starch. That genetic tailoring would lead to quicker, more efficient commercial production of starch derivatives.
Cereal Crops Research, Madison, WI
Cynthia A. Henson, (608) 262-0377

Corn tortillas get their flavor largely from one natural compound in yellow corn flour. ARS researchers found the compound--called 2-aminoacetophenone--in yellow corn flour and pinpointed its importance to flavor. To enhance the quality of their products, makers of tortillas, taco shells, tortilla chips and other foods might monitor levels of 2-aminoacetophenone and perhaps boost flavor by increasing the amount of the component. The chemical apparently forms when hard corn kernels are softened in hot lime water before being ground into flour. To rate the flavor contribution of this compound and some 30 others, scientists used sophisticated lab instruments and appraisals by volunteers on an "aroma panel."
Cereal Product Utilization Research, Albany, CA
Ronald G. Buttery/Louisa C. Ling, (510) 559-5667

Turning citrus waste into commercial oils is the focus of a cooperative study between ARS and Egyptian scientists. The oil extracted from limeseeds could be turned into cooking oils for U.S. and Egyptian consumers. Using state-of-the-art analytical methods, ARS researchers found that limeseed oils are comparable nutritionally to soybean oil. Natural flavor extracts from orange peels could give commercial value to these citrus wastes in Egypt.
Food Quality and Safety Research, Peoria, IL
William E. Neff, (309) 681-6389

Last Updated: December 12, 1996
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