Cinnamon Is Key Ingredient In Anti-Mold Wrapper
In addition to its sweet, woody aroma, cinnamon has long been known for its capacity to stop spoilage. It was one of the ingredients used by ancient Egyptian embalmers.
Spanish researchers took advantage of that property in developing an anti-mold wrapper.
They report that even with bread already tainted with mold, a wax paper made with 6 percent cinnamon oil inhibited the growth by 96 percent and prolonged freshness by up to 10 days. Plain wax paper did not slow the mold at all.
This wrapper may also be effective in keeping fruits, vegetables and meats fresh. The researchers said the cinnamon wax paper was safe and environmentally friendly.
Adding cinnamon to the bread was less effective in preserving the bread because the protective compounds were not released uniformly.
Source: New York Times August 29, 2008
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