This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Se experimenta con la uva para hacerla más saludable y menos perecedera

Is experienced with the grape to make it more healthy and less perishable

30/12/2010

December 30, 2010

The Universitat Politècnica de València has recently achieved a kind of grapes even healthier and less perishable through its food Institute of engineering development.

They explained in a statement that the key lies in coating the grape of a thin edible and imperceptible made from propolis which is nothing more than a natural substance produced by bees from resinous particles in the egg yolks, outbreaks and petioles of different trees.

In addition to antibacterial and antifungal propolis is a natural source of antioxidants, which is why this Institute has been experiencing with him for a couple of years and seeking possible applications such as the one now proposed with the grape. How to proceed with this fruit is the of immerse it in a solution of propolis and thus the substance remains attached to the fruit of the vine.

"The grape with the film of propolis is preserved better than the not covered, since that reduces losses of water and weight and takes longer to deteriorate," said Maite Cháfer, researcher and teacher of this House of studies.

These researchers carried out an organoleptic analysis with grapes without coating and coated with different levels of propolis to learn about the sensory acceptance of the product and define what dose would be the most convenient add, thinking in their application to bring new products to market.

Among the findings of these studies organoleptic, the researchers also found that incorporating propolis solutions, is markedly improves the sensory appreciation of this product. "One of the main problems of the intake of this compound is that it has a very unpleasant taste and to incorporate it into edible solutions without taste, we significantly reduce this effect and improve their sensory assessment to be applied to food," explains Clara Pastorresearcher at the IUIAD of the Polytechnic of Valencia.

The work developed by the researchers of the UPV has been published in the magazines 'carbohydrate polymers' and 'Postharvest Biology and Technology', two of the scientific publications of more international impact in the field of food technology.