INVESTIGATION OF PRINCIPLES AND TECHNOLOGIES TO STABILIZE FRUIT ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS FOR RETAINING INTEGRITY, NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORY QUALITIES OF PROCESSED WHOLE FRUIT

Major goals of this project are to fully understand the scientific principles of anthocyanin stabilization in whole fruit under various food processing conditions, to develop effective methods for stabilizing anthocyanins on processed whole fruit and during long-term storage, and to create a series of high value whole fruit products with attractive appealing and health promotion benefit. Four specific objectives are applied to fulfill the project goals, which includeto further investigate the mechanisms of stabilizing anthocyanin pigments in processed whole fruit through integrated approaches of co-pigmentation, enhancing anthocyanin interaction with fruit cell wall materials, and strengthening fruit cell wall structures to preserve anthocyanins within cell vacuoles;to optimize the cellulose fibers incorporated water- and heat-resistant coatings for strengthening outer epidermal wall structures, blocking anthocyanins leakage, and retaining integrity of whole fruit during fruit processing and storage in aqueous media; Cellulose fibers from micro- to nano-scale with different intrinsic properties and from different resources are studied in respect to their interaction with other materials in coating formulation and water- and heat- resistance of the developed coatings at various fruit processing conditions; to investigate the effectiveness of thermal and advanced non-thermal (high hydrostatic pressure, HHP) processes to inactivate concerned microorganisms and enzymes for ensuring food safety and quality while applying above approaches for retaining anthocyanins; andto implement the developed novel technologies in different fruit products (canned blueberries, maraschino cherry type of product, and blueberries, cherries, and red pears in mixed fruit cup) and validate the quality, consumer acceptance, and shelf-life of the products.