KINETICS OF DEEP-FAT-FRYING OF POTATO AND OPTIMIZATION OF PROCESS VARIABLES

Effects of deep-fat-frying time, temperature and thickness of potato slices on oil absorption. moisture content and colour of chips have been studied. The loss of reducing sugars was found to have an average diffusivity of 5.06 x 10(-9)m2/s in case of blanching of 1.5 and 2 mm thick slices in boiling water. Colour development followed first order reaction kinetics with a Q10 value of 1.39 and 52.27 kJ/kg mole activation energy. Multiple regression equations were developed for moisture, oil and colour values in the final product as a function of frying time, oil temperature and thickness of slice. Use of linear programming technique yielded 220-222 sec frying time, 145-146-degrees-C oil temperature and 2 mm thickness of slice as optimum parameters.