Fried potato products are among the foods with the highest levels of acrylamide due to the high level of acrylamide precursors naturally present in potato. Therefore, reducing acrylamide level of fried potato products such as French fries is important. The objective of this study was to employ microwave blanching (instead of conventional blanching) during manufacturing of frozen par-fried potato strips and investigate its effect on acrylamide content and quality attributes (texture, color, oil content) of French fries. Microwave blanching was performed by immersing the potato strips in boiling water and microwaving for 1, 2, 3, and 4 min at 900 W prior to drying, par-frying, cooling and freezing steps. Conventional blanching consisted of two steps: 3 min at 80 °C followed by 20 min at 65 °C (control sample). Frying times at 180 °C were determined by analyzing the samples sensorily for a thoroughly-cooked potato strip with a soft interior and a crispy outer crust. Frying times for the control and 1, 2, 3 and 4 min microwave blanched samples were 5, 4, 3.5, 3 and 2.5 min, respectively. Color measurement was done by digital image analysis, Texture Analyzer was used for texture measurement and oil content was determined using Soxhlet method. An LCMS method was used for acrylamide analysis. Acrylamide reductions (in comparison to the control) for the samples microwave-blanched for 1, 2, 3, 4 min were 18%, 48%, 71% and 79%, respectively. The samples microwave-blanched for 3 min were the most comparable to the control in terms of quality attributes. The method modification also shortened both blanching and frying times. Therefore, the results of this study may be useful in industrial production of French fries. However, the effect of microwave power should be investigated and optimization of blanching time should be performed for industrial-scale microwave systems.
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