Mixing blueberries into hamburger may seem odd at first, but that hasn’t stopped University of Maine researchers from experimenting with novel uses for one of the state’s most valuable agricultural products.

At first scientists paired blueberries with hamburgers in an attempt to eliminate the unpleasant taste that comes from reheating the meat, a common practice in school cafeterias and other institutional settings. Now, UM food scientists are putting berries into burgers made of beef, chicken and turkey to improve their texture and nutritional value. Think of it as a dose of cancer-fighting antioxidants and vitamins with your burger.

The project will not only make burgers more healthy, it will also give a boost to the state’s blueberry growers who often struggle to find a market for a crop that is becoming more plentiful as Canadian berry production increases. Last year, Maine’s wild blueberry farms grew 62 million pounds of berries, down from the five-year average harvest of nearly 78 million pounds. Only 300,000 pounds are sold fresh.

Such partnerships with Maine industries are becoming increasingly common at the university’s food science department. While looking for ways to use what are currently byproducts of seafood processing, they, in conjunction with the Lobster Institute, have developed crab and lobster pasta and are working on seafood puffs that are high in protein and calcium. In 1999, UM food scientists patented a process to freeze seafood, especially lobster, while maintaining its flavor and texture. This allows lobster that has a long shelf life and tastes like fresh to be served in Hong Kong, for example. UM researchers have also developed new potato varieties and pioneered high-fiber flour made from potato peels that can be added to baked goods and cereals. The team also helped a UM graduate start a business in Waldoboro making salmon sausage made from trimmings that otherwise would be wasted.

These projects are examples of the work made possible by research and development bond money and the grants it helps access. UM is the only institution in New England – and one of 15 nationally – that offers a formal sensory evaluation program. A new lab and food research pilot plant were included in the renovations to Hitchner Hall, financed largely by the 1998 R&D bond issue. The Consumer Testing Center is now conducting studies to see if consumers will adjust their taste expectations if they know a product has health benefits. They are now working on a healthy snack of a frozen soy product covered in pureed blueberries. The lab is also working withthe U.S. Department of Agriculture to have kids taste test blueberry burgers for possible use in the federal school lunch program that serves 27 million children.

If the kids don’t turn up their noses, the researchers’ efforts could help blueberry growers see more green.