Microwave-assisted vacuum frying of durian chips: Impact of ripening level on the drying rate, physio-chemical characteristics, and acceptability

Abstract

The microwave assisted vacuum frying (MWVF) of Durian cv. Monthong was performed to investigate the effect of microwave power levels (400, 480, and 560 W) and ripening stages (1 Day, 2 Days, 3 Days, and 4 Days after harvesting) on the kinetics of the durian chips. The physio-chemical properties, the specific energy consumption (SEC) and product acceptability using sensory evaluation were also determined at 110 °C and absolute pressure of 8 kPa. At the higher microwave power, the frying time was reduced leading to a lower SEC. Moreover, it also resulted in decreasing oil absorption, decreasing shrinkage, and increasing porosity. In addition, more ripeness in durians led to longer frying time, increased oil uptake, but also produced a more porous structure and higher crispiness. Furthermore, using the 7-point hedonic scale test, the sensory evaluation revealed that the chips from the more ripened durian had the higher overall acceptability score.