A New Zealand-manufactured kiwi fruit powder extract is growing in demand as a natural meat tenderiser in Australia.
Kiwi Fruit has an interesting new application as a natural meat tenderiser.
A powder extract, known as or KFPE OT1005X, is made in New Zealand by Cuisine Resources and supplied locally by Sydney-based supplier Ingredient Resources.
The active component, which is the natural protease enzyme known as Actinidin, is only found in the common green Kiwi Fruit species, according to the CEO of Ingredient Resources, Dennis Chesser.
Ingredient Resources is the exclusive international marketing agent for Cuisine Resources NZ Ltd, and together the two companies pioneered the commercialisation of the technology in the late 1990s. Local and international sales have grown since then.
The greatest interest has come from the meat processing industry, as well as research institutions and universities around the world, Chesser says.
“Trials have been completed or are currently underway in the UK, Europe, Asia and North and South America.”
A version of KFPE was originally conceived for use in the cosmetic industry for face creams and so-called ‘fruit peels’.
However, it soon emerged that the meat processing industry had much more potential due to the variable quality of many cuts of meat and long cook times needed to achieve a satisfactory level of tenderness.
“This need led directly to the formula now commercialised as KFPE OT1005X , which is solely derived from fresh fruit,” Chesser says.
KFPE OT1005X is the only natural commercial product able to tenderise various cuts of meat at the 6°C - 10°C manufacturing temperatures normally used in chilled meat processing, according to Chesser. The low temperature is critical to minimising micro load issues, and no other natural protease can offer this advantage.
“Over recent years we’ve had a few companies try to copy KFPE OT1005X but no one has been able to duplicate our proprietary formula,” Chesser says.
Unlike other natural protease enzymes such as papain or bromelain, which only commences activity at 38°C, the unique temperature activity range of KFPE OT1005X is from 2˚C and deactivates at approx. 38˚C. It is acid- and salt-tolerant, and compatible with phosphates and spices used in most meat industry premixes.
“The final extract is standardised, so the activity level is always the same and therefore not affected by seasonal variation during the growing season. It is manufactured by an in-house proprietary method, and no chemicals or solvents are used in the process,” Chesser says.
As well as being all-natural, KFPE OT1005X is designed to tenderise and then consume itself. There’s no need for elevated temperatures to kill the activity, which is a real problem area for other natural enzymes.
KFPE OT1005X works on all cuts of meat, poultry and seafood products, and is expected to play a vital role in upgrading cheaper cuts of meat as it takes the guesswork out of the equation.
Chesser believes KFPE OT1005X has an important role to play in other emerging food technologies such as the chilled fresh meal market.
Over recent years, he says, various product improvements have been made on the particle solubility aspect, and more recently an internal innovative cutting edge process development known as Controlled Macro Process Factor (CMPF) was implemented.
“All these ongoing enhancements are designed to ensure that the quality of this extract is never compromised.”
