Cinnamon Is Key Ingredient in Anti-Mold Wrapper
By KENNETH CHANG
Published: August 29, 2008
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.
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