Principal investigator and
doctoral candidate Linda Araghi is studying ways to find new product uses for Georgia-grown cantaloupe, together with Taija Stoner-Harris, a master’s degree student in the Department of Food Science and Technology,
As the shelf life of these fruits is short, there isn’t another outlet for watermelon and cantaloupe growers to sell their produce besides the fresh market. Now UGA researchers are stepping in to help find novel uses for the fruit. To help Georgia growers, researchers in the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) are conducting studies to test new products using these fruits.
“The long-term goal of our research is to extend the shelf life of fruit juices while preserving natural levels of beneficial molecules and sensory quality,” Araghi told extension.uga.edu.
This study examines the use of refrigeration and high pressure processing methodology to make the juice as fresh as possible. Using high pressure instead of other conventional methods allows the fruit to retain its nutritious profile.