Article: Dried Plums Act As Antioxidant In Some Meats

[Guest guest]

Did you know that " dried plums " are what used to be called prunes, but

the prune sellers thought that name prune wasn't marketing well, so they

got the ok to change it a year or so ago to " dried plums " . The juice is

just about the only thing called " prune " anymore .. and there is your

useless trivia for the day ..

 

Just for the heck of it if you want to know more about that:

http://www.failuremag.com/arch_business_dried_plums.html

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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Dried Plums Act As Antioxidant In Some Meats

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106164429.htm

 

To help satisfy consumer demand for more natural food products,

researchers at Texas A & M University are investigating dried plums as a

meat preservative.

 

" We found that dried plums, when pureed, actually have a very good

antioxidant capacity, " said Dr. Jimmy Keeton, professor of animal

science and leader of the research at Texas A & M.

 

" We've been experimenting with dried plums and plum juice in different

types of products such as pre-cooked pork sausages, roast beef and ham

to see which of those products will respond most effectively as

antioxidants, " he said. " We found that pre-cooked and uncured products

like sausages and roast beef actually respond the best. "

 

Antioxidants retard oxidation of fatty acids that make up fat, he said.

 

" If these are unsaturated fatty acids, they can oxidize more and produce

off-flavors and cause shelf life problems, " he said.

 

Synthetic products called BHA (butylated hydroxyl anisole) and BHT

(butylated hydroxyl toluene) have long been used as antioxidants. The

natural product, extract of rosemary, is also used.

 

Dried plums can enhance the flavor of some products, frankfurters in

particular, Keeton said.

 

" We've actually had consumers tell us they prefer the flavor of products

with the dried plum ingredient, " he said.

 

Because dried plums are better known as prunes, some concerns about the

laxative effects have been raised. Keeton said the dried plum puree is

added in such small amounts that it should not be a concern to most

people.

 

Researchers added dried plum pate to sausages and similar ground

products while dried plum juice was found to be most effective in beef

roasts.

 

Meats with the dried plum additives are at present a specialty.

 

" Companies will have to look at the market and decide if this ingredient

will work for them, " Keeton said. " It's not expensive, but it must be

listed as an ingredient added to the product. "

 

Researchers also want to test adding the dried plum puree to lean meat

products, he said.

 

" Unsaturated fatty acids are found in lean tissue membranes, and

therefore it can be a benefit because it prevents the oxidation of them

in the membranes, " he said.

 

The research was funded by the California Dried Plum Board.