By Jeanne Yacoubous, MS
L-cysteine was approved in Australia and New Zealand in 2016 as an anti-browning agent for avocados and bananas. http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/applications/Documents/A1117%20L-cysteine%20as%20a%20FA%20AppR.pdf
Experimental work on L-cysteine as an effective anti-browning agent has been done in the US since the 1950s (See p. 12 here: https://www.scribd.com/document/334501978/Fresh-Cut-Fruits).
As of 2018 L-cysteine is approved by the FDA only as a dough conditioner and is granted Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status at approved levels in foods only for this purpose. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1271.
According to one source (http://www.google.la/patents/US20080032010; paragraph labeled “0011” under subtitle “Description”) using L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent for fresh cut fruits and vegetables “is commonly used in the produce industry…”
The paragraph from which this is taken states in its entirety: “Another method, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,926 issued to Wrolstad et al. may use antibrowning/antioxidant compounds, specifically an L-cysteine and glutathione derivative, as isolated from pineapple juice, and pineapple processing plants. L-cysteine is commonly used in the produce industry as an anti-browning compound.”
Here is the patent cited in the previous paragraph of experimental work on L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent: https://www.google.com/patents/US6224926.
[Readers should note that information found online, especially for patents granted at the experimental level, may not always translate into commercial use. Years later, the patented procedures may still not be standard manufacturing practice on an industrial scale. L-cysteine used as an anti-browning agent is a case in point as evidenced below in the following sections. Always inquire of the company when in doubt.]
US Companies
As of March 2018, The Vegetarian Resource Group has not identified any pre-cut produce companies using L-cysteine today as an anti-browning agent in the US although we have contacted several.
We emailed Steve, Director of Sales from Bix® Produce Company, http://www.bixproduce.com/ who told us that they do not use L-cysteine.
The VRG called USA Produce® http://usa-produce.com/ who said that they do not use L-cysteine.
Nino’s Fresh Cut Fruit and Vegetables®, http://www.ninosfreshcut.com/ initially said “We use nothing but water.” When we pursued this by proposing some common anti-browning agents, The VRG learned that Nino’s uses NatureSeal® products (see below), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), chlorine dioxide and sodium bisulfite. [VRG Note: All of these anti-browning agents are corn- or mineral-based.]
Go Fresh® Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables http://www.gofresh-precut.com/ and Heart of the Harvest® Fresh Cut Produce http://www.heartoftheharvest.net/pages/veggie-list.php told us that they use an EcoLab® product called Tsunami 100®. According to page 2 of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on Tsunami 100, it contains non-animal hazardous ingredients.
https://portal.ecolab.com/servlet/PdfServlet?sid=984484-12&cntry=US&langid=en-US&langtype=RFC1766LangCode&locale=en_US&pdfname=TSUNAMI100
[VRG Note: A SDS lists only “hazardous” ingredients; it does not list them all. The VRG called EcoLab to find out more information but was informed that since The VRG is not a paying customer, further information could not be given.]
International Companies
Orgacure®
The VRG communicated with Roger Bierwas, CEO of Orgacure, about their FreshCut® product used as an antimicrobial and anti-browning agent. Roger was writing from the Netherlands. http://orgacure.com/freshcut/convenience/
We wanted to know about his experience with L-cysteine used as an anti-browning agent. Here is what we learned:
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in your anti-browning products?
Orgacure: We did trial cysteine some time ago but it developed an aftertaste on washed produce. Our scope with Orgacure is to provide a solution which does antimicrobial and anti-browning at the same time…to achieve an optimal…shelf-life…keeping the native taste of the fresh food with virtual no residues left…Another reason for not using cysteine for anti-browning is that the substance is in general of animal origin which would be a problematic issue with some of our customers as they have to comply with strict vegetarian, vegan or religious (halal) food standards.
AgriCoat NatureSeal® Ltd.
The VRG also corresponded with AgriCoat NatureSeal Ltd. General Manager Simon Matthews about L-cysteine as an anti-browning agent. He was writing from the UK. https://www.natureseal.com/
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in any of your anti-browning products? On which foods? In which countries?
AgriCoat NatureSeal: Our company offers a range of products, co-developed originally with the USDA, under the brand name NatureSeal designed to maintain shelf life in fresh cut fruits and vegetables. We offer a dozen or so different blends, based on various food approved ingredients.
AgriCoat NatureSeal Ltd. is the British subsidiary of NatureSeal Inc…I note the nature of your organisation and wish to be as helpful and reassuring as possible. I can confirm that we offer NatureSeal products that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans…
I note that you have a specific question regarding the amino acid L-cysteine. This is an ingredient which is well documented for use in controlling enzymatic browning. Working with natural produce, we understand that many consumers expect fresh cut produce, by its very nature, to be suitable for vegetarians (if not always vegan). With that in mind to meet vegetarian requirements we would use L-cysteine that is manufactured synthetically. This source is acceptable to vegetarians and vegans. We are aware that cysteine derived as a by-product of animal hair/bristles/feathers is not acceptable and I hope this affords you with the reassurances you seek.
As mentioned, although I cannot disclose customers or their uses we support NatureSeal customers across UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Food Freshly®
The VRG also corresponded with Benjamin Singh, Director of Technical Sales with Food Freshly http://foodfreshly.net/ about their products. He was writing from Germany.
The VRG: Do you use L-cysteine in any of your anti-browning products? On which foods? In which countries?
Food Freshly: We don’t use L-cysteine in our products because our products are to be applied on fresh-cut produce. The application of L-cysteine on fresh-cut produce is not permitted in most countries.
The VRG: It appears that L-cysteine on fresh-cut produce is permitted in Australia and New Zealand. But can you confirm that your products in those countries are anti-browning agents NOT containing L-cysteine? I haven’t heard about this in the US – maybe you have?
Food Freshly: Thanks for the update. I will have our compliance people evaluate this. As far as we are concerned, L-cysteine doesn’t have permission to be used on fresh-cut produce in the US. Our product range is completely free of L-Cysteine in all countries.
M-TEchX®
We also emailed M-TEchX about their anti-browning agents and received a reply from Kanji Morishima. http://mtechx.co.jp/eng/portfolio/mx-gk01/
The VRG: Does your anti-browning agent contain L-cysteine or whey?
M-TEchX: …Our product, food formulation about anti-browning of avocado… [I]t doesn’t contain L-cysteine nor whey at all. But it contains protein very little, just for your information…
The VRG: Is it plant protein? Or animal protein? Can you tell me its name?
M-TEchX: …We cannot disclose the name without NDA. But it is plant protein, not animal one. [VRG Note: “NDA” stands for “non-disclosure agreement.”]
For more ingredient information, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.