Effects of variety and stage of fruit ripeness on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of deep‐fat‐fried banana chips

Abstract

AbstractThe quality of banana chips prepared from two different varieties of banana, Pisang Abu and Pisang Nangka, at the ‘green’ and ‘trace of yellow’ stages of ripeness was studied. The fruits were peeled, sliced to a thickness of 2 mm and deep‐fat fried in refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm olein at 180 ± 5 °C for 3 min. The quality parameters determined for fresh bananas were total soluble solids, pH, acidity, carbohydrate, sugar content, fat, protein, moisture content, ash, fibre, colour and fruit firmness. The results showed that Abu had a higher carbohydrate content than Nangka at both stages of ripeness before frying. No sucrose was detected in Nangka. The quality parameters determined after deep‐fat frying were moisture content, water activity, oil absorption, crispness and sensory evaluation. The moisture content and water activity of Abu chips were lower than those of Nangka chips. The texture of chips prepared from Abu at stage ‘green’ showed more crispness than the other three samples. Sensory evaluation showed that chips prepared from Abu at both stages of ripeness presented better colour, flavour, odour, texture and overall acceptability than those prepared from Nangka. Based on the matrix of correlation coefficients, fresh bananas with higher fruit firmness and carbohydrate content gave banana chips with higher crispness and oil absorption.© 2001 Society of Chemical Industry