AppleBoost

In 2008, dietitians for the U.S. Olympic Committee armed their athletes with 6,000 tubes of AppleBoost, a new energy food product inspired by the research of Cornell associate professor and world-renowned food scientist Rui Hai Liu.

The secret to these energy snacks resides in the peels, which contain the bulk of an apple's anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and high-fiber properties. As Liu discovered, a peel's anti-oxidant properties are especially important because they may provide a promising defense against certain chronic diseases, such as cancer.

To incorporate the benefits of apple peels into a range of products from baby foods to breakfast cereals to energy enhancers—like the one consumed at the Olympics—Liu developed a patented apple peel powdering process that retains the peel's healthful properties. As an added benefit, apple product companies can use tons of peels that are typically discarded following applesauce production.

"Now we can turn a waste product into a value added product," says Liu.

When Jim Leahy, president of Leahy Orchards, and business partner Dave Copeland heard of Liu's research, they jumped at the opportunity to incorporate apple peel powder into their pre-existing product. The result is AppleBoost, an organic, nutrient-rich blend of apples and other flavors that can be consumed chilled or frozen.

Since its first commercial launch at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, AppleBoost has steadily increased sales. Copeland says he hopes to soon expand to school lunch programs nationwide. "There is a big fruit and vegetable gap in kids' diets," Copeland explains. "Some of the apples served in cafeterias come back with bite marks because they are oftentimes refrigerated for a long time, have soft skins, a mealy inside, or are overall unappetizing. AppleBoost is a good-tasting way for kids to increase their intake of anti-oxidants."

The product comes in bright yellow tubes of 32 and 64 grams, resembling, at first, a small candy bar. However, the tubes offer far more nutritional value. Each packet contains the equivalent of a whole apple peel and is offered in two flavors: Mango-Peach and Wildberry.

Although AppleBoost is among the first products to utilize Liu's apple powder, the powder is a naturally healthful food source that can be infused into almost anything. From school cafeterias to football fields, apple powder may soon be providing Americans with a little more of their daily-recommended fruit servings. Liu hopes that products such as AppleBoost will encourage people to increase their consumption of healthy foods.

"If we can attain this goal," says Liu, "we will have set our bodies up for preventing chronic diseases and slowing down the effects of aging."

AppleBoost can be found on Cornell's campus at the Robert Purcell dining hall and online at appleboost.com. (Isabel Sterne '10)

• AppleBoost