05.10.2015 change 05.10.2015

Mirabelle plum: just right for oil

Photo: Fotolia Photo: Fotolia

Mirabelle plum kernel oil - because toxic compounds it contains - so far has only been used for the production of cosmetics. Researchers at Gdańsk University of Technology know how to remove the toxin so that it can also be used for salads, frying or coating of dried fruit.

Mirabelle plums can be found everywhere - in home gardens, at roadsides, in ditches and fallows. They contain vitamins B, E, folic acid, sugars, minerals, and valuable bioactive phytochemicals. However, there are the most underestimated and unused fruit in Poland.

Until now, due to the high content of poisonous cyanogenic compounds, mirabelle plum kernel oil was used solely for cosmetic purposes. Researchers from the Department of Chemistry, Food Technology and Biotechnology, Gdańsk University of Technology have found a way to eliminate unfavourable compounds and use of oil in the food industry. "They have developed a method for the preparation of cooking oil with a very pleasant taste and smell from seeds of the fruit" - informs Gdańsk University of Technology on its website.

"Our method of obtaining oil from mirabelle plum kernels allows to eliminate the compounds hazardous for the human body. As a result, it may become a competitor for many Asian oils, and even the popular olive oil" - explained the authors of the technology, Dr. Maria Tynek and Dr. Agnieszka Bartoszek-Pączkowska.

Mirabelle oil can be used for salads, home and industrial frying, coating dried fruit, as well as roasted coffee polish.

Scientists have conducted studies of a variety of fruits. "The best oil was obtained from kernels of mirabelle plum, which does not require special conditions of cultivation, is resistant to difficult weather conditions, and grows in abundance. Although it often grows in difficult conditions, it always retains its valuable properties" - explained Dr. Maria Tynek.

The oil obtained from mirabelle kernels has a high "thermo-oxidative stability". "This means that it is highly resistant to rancidity and high temperatures during frying. It exhibits pro-health properties: a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and tocopherols" - informs Gdańsk University of Technology. In addition, the oil ingredients may decrease the levels of bad cholesterol, which in excess can lead to heart disease and atherosclerosis.

"Due to the low requirements as to the conditions of growth of the mirabelle fruit - low and middle class soil, no use of pesticides, independence from sunlight, resistance to low temperatures - oil produced from mirabelle plum kernels can easily become a product with the bio status\' - informs the university.

Currently talks are underway with producers interested in implementation and production of mirabelle plum oil. Scientists are also working on further products based on wild fruits.

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