It's easy to eat fresh because it doesn't have to be peeled or seeded. Starfruit can also be added to stewed fruit dishes or used to make juices, wine, jellies, tarts and preserves. Starch from corn, barley and other grains is used as a key ingredient in making these products. ARS researchers found that a natural enzyme breaks down starch up to 10 times faster than current commercial processes. Alpha glucosidase, the speedy enzyme the researchers discovered two years ago, actually may have been used by Egyptians around 3500 B.C. to malt barley.
Alpha amylase holds up better under the high temperatures of processing starch.
That genetic tailoring would lead to quicker, more efficient commercial production of starch derivatives. To enhance the quality of their products, makers of tortillas, taco shells, tortilla chips and other foods might monitor levels of 2-aminoacetophenone and perhaps boost flavor by increasing the amount of the component. The chemical apparently forms when hard corn kernels are softened in hot lime water before being ground into flour. The oil extracted from limeseeds could be turned into cooking oils for U.S. and Egyptian consumers. Natural flavor extracts from orange peels could give commercial value to these citrus wastes in Egypt.