

New Edible Coating Helps Pecans Stay Fresh
LongerBy Doris Stanley
Lowe January 27, 1999An edible coating that keeps pecans fresh up to 10 months in storage at room
temperature could bring an end to the rancid, off-taste that sometimes spoils
the nuts. Scientists with USDAs
Agricultural Research Service developed
the coatings, which are made from cellulose, an all-natural product that is the
most abundant polysaccharide found in nature. Commercially available and
relatively inexpensive, cellulose could easily be sprayed on pecan nutmeats by
processors. Of the three cellulose derivatives tested, carboxymethyl turned out to best
preserve flavor. It imparted a high gloss without causing the nuts to look or
feel oily, boosting consumer appeal. The coating also delayed undesirable color
changes, a potentially important feature since consumers associate dark-colored
pecans with rancidity. Rancidity occurs when oxygen enters the nut and breaks
down, or oxidizes, some of its fat. Generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, the coatings would need to be listed on the label
as an ingredient. The pecan industry is interested in further developing the
coatings, which could promote year-round consumption. The coatings were developed at the ARS
Citrus and Subtropical Products
Research Laboratory in Winter Haven, Fla., in conjunction with the ARS
Southeastern
Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Ga. ARS, USDAs chief
scientific research agency, features this story in the January
Agricultural Researchmagazine. It can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jan99/pecans0199.htm Scientific contact: Elizabeth A. Baldwin, Citrus and Subtropical
Products Research Lab, ARS, Winter Haven, Fla., (941) 293-4133, ext. 119, fax
(941) 299-8678, [email protected] or Bruce
W. Wood, Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Lab, ARS, Byron, Ga., (912)
956-6421, fax (912) 956-2929, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |