Curdlan Polysaccharide Revolutionizes Pineapple Jam Production with Faster Processing and Enhanced Quality

A recent study reveals that curdlan, a natural polysaccharide, could transform pineapple jam production by dramatically reducing cooking time while improving texture and stability. Published on July 18, 2025, in Food Quality and Safety https://doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyaf033, the research demonstrates that curdlan cuts processing time from three hours to just one hour while maintaining consumer acceptance and product quality.

The research team from Universiti Sains Malaysia and Mountains of the Moon University tested pineapple jams containing 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% curdlan concentrations. The highest curdlan concentration achieved the most significant time reduction, with cooking efficiency gains resulting from curdlan's ability to bind water, accelerate soluble solids accumulation, and form dense gel networks. This breakthrough addresses fundamental challenges in pineapple jam production, where traditional methods rely heavily on pectin—an expensive and limited resource that is naturally scarce in pineapple flesh.

Beyond time savings, curdlan-enhanced jams showed improved physical properties including reduced syneresis (liquid separation) and lower water activity, both critical factors for safe storage and product stability. Texture analysis revealed firmer, less sticky jams, while color measurements indicated improvements in brightness, redness, and yellowness. Microscopic imaging confirmed that curdlan created compact, well-structured networks that reinforced product integrity throughout storage.

Consumer acceptance testing proved particularly significant, as a panel of 45 untrained tasters reported no noticeable differences in flavor, color, or overall acceptability across all curdlan concentrations. Interestingly, jams containing 0.5% curdlan received the highest scores for spreadability, indicating an optimal balance between structural firmness and consumer-friendly texture. This sensory validation suggests that manufacturers could adopt curdlan without compromising the taste experience consumers expect from traditional pineapple jams.

The implications extend beyond pineapple processing to broader food industry challenges. As the world's third most-produced tropical fruit, pineapple suffers from significant post-harvest losses, with nearly one-third of harvests lost after picking. Curdlan's ability to stabilize perishable fruits could help reduce this waste while providing manufacturers with a cost-effective alternative to pectin. The shortened processing time also suggests potential energy savings and increased production capacity for food manufacturers.

Lead author Shin-Yong Yeoh emphasized that while the study provides promising evidence, further research into industrial scalability and shelf-life stability will be essential before curdlan reaches wider commercial application. The research was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme, supporting scientific innovation that addresses real-world food production challenges. As food systems worldwide seek more sustainable and efficient processing methods, curdlan represents a promising innovation that could make fruit preserves more accessible and affordable while reducing environmental impact.