Development of fortified low-fat potato chips through Vacuum Impregnation and Microwave Vacuum Drying

Abstract

Potato chips, traditionally prepared by conventional frying, are the most widely consumed snack in the world; however, it has some health concerns associated. This work aims to produce potato chips fortified with calcium and vitamins C and E using Vacuum Impregnation and Microwave Vacuum Drying. The drying process conditions were optimized considering the power density and absolute pressure as independent variables, and some textural and nutritional properties, as dependent variables. The chips were evaluated for microstructure, sensory, and storage studies. The fortification process through Vacuum Impregnation significantly enhanced the content of fortifiers. A power density of 1.7 W·g−1 and an absolute pressure of 4.0 kPa were found to be optimum microwave vacuum drying conditions yielding an average retention higher than 90% of calcium, 53% of vitamin C and 72% of vitamin E. It is concluded that the combination of vacuum impregnation and vacuum microwave drying is an alternative to produce value-added low-fat snack with acceptable sensory quality. Industrial relevancePotato is a promising food for the development of innovative food products with health benefits, due to its high consumption worldwide. Potato chips could be used as an ideal strategy for targeted nutrient delivery e.g. vitamins and minerals. The findings of this study showed that the use of vacuum impregnation as a fortification technique, with the subsequent stabilization by microwave vacuum drying, are promising ways to develop fortified low-fat potato chips.