Cinnamon Is Key Ingredient in Anti-Mold Wrapper

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Cinnamon Is Key Ingredient in Anti-Mold Wrapper

New York Times *

By KENNETH CHANG

Published: August 29, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/science/02obsbread.html?ref=science

Cinnamon is a spice added to some breads and other bakery items.

Soon, it might also be an ingredient in the wrapper around the bread

as a way to keep out mold.

In addition to its sweet, woody aroma, cinnamon kills microbes — it

was one of the ingredients used by ancient Egyptian embalmers.

Spanish researchers took advantage of that property in developing an

anti-mold wrapper. In the Aug. 13 issue of The Journal of

Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they report that even with bread

deliberately tainted with mold, a wax paper made with 6 percent

cinnamon oil inhibited the growth by 96 percent, prolonging

freshness by up to 10 days. (Plain wax paper did not slow the mold

at all.)

Cristina Nerin, one of the researchers at the University of

Zaragoza, said a cinnamon-containing plastic has also been developed

and is in use commercially. In addition, the wrapper may be also be

effective in keeping fruits, vegetables and meats fresh. The

researchers said the cinnamon wax paper was safe and environmentally

friendly.

Sometimes the wrapper adds a cinnamon aroma to the food. Adding

cinnamon directly into the bread is not as effective, because the

protective compounds are not released uniformly, Dr. Nerin said.