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Your Florida Daily: Florida researchers transform leathery grapes into crunchy fruit snack

New podcast episode features University of Florida horticultural associate professor

Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida is well known for its citrus groves, but the next superfood sensation could be found right here in the Sunshine State.

As a native Floridian, I never heard of muscadine grapes.

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“It has a different taste and different texture,” said Dr. Ali Sarkhosh, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida.

Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Sarkhosh joined the News 6 podcast Your Florida Daily to explain his experiments.

They’re juicy with a notoriously thick leathery skin with bitter seeds which is why they are most often squeezed into wine or juice.

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Because the peel can be difficult to chew and swallow, often people who eat the muscadine grape only eat the flesh.

Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Sarkhosh points to this as a problem since the peel is rich with nutritional benefits, such as antioxidants, dietary fiber and flavonoids which is how his team came up with the idea to transform the chewy grape into a more palatable snack.

“So that’s why we came up with the idea to do freeze-dried muscadine,” Sarkhosh said.

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His scientific work was published this summer with the goal of promoting the grape as a health-conscious food for consumers.

By freeze-drying the muscadine grapes, each bite has a satisfying ‘crunch’ that keeps the grape flesh and skin combined.

Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

It also extends the grape’s shelf life.

According to the University of Florida, the Sunshine State has a thriving muscadine grape industry, and the grapes grow particularly well in the hot and humid state.

Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS. (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

Listen to the full episode above and subscribe to Your Florida Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.


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