Tahitian Fruit Pulp Prevents Meat Discoloration, Extends Shelf-Life

Though the USDA and America’s meat producers have tried to educate the public about discoloration – it’s not necessarily a sign of spoilage – consumers are still wary of fading or darkening meat and poultry. That costs retailers millions of dollars every year. But now those losses could be trimmed significantly if a new ingredient discovered by U.S. scientists is put into use. The pulp of a Tahitian fruit called noni, when mixed into ground beef, prevents rapid discoloration and extends shelf-life. The antioxidant pulp inhibits oxidation of the red beef pigment oxymyoglobin that occurs on exposure to air and grocery store lights. The pigment is turned into metmyoglobin, which gives meat a brownish-red or gray color. Experiments showed that noni pulp stabilized meat color for as long as four days.