Effect of pre-treatment processes on physicochemical aspects of vacuum-fried banana chips

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of various pre-treatments on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of vacuum-fried (VF) banana chips (120°C, 41.3 kPa) and consequently compare them to atmospheric-fried (AF) banana chips (170°C). Pre-treatments comprised of osmotic dehydration with sucrose solution (ODSu), osmotic dehydration with salt solution (ODSa), microwave heating (MV), and hot air-drying (HD). The moisture content, oil content, L*, b*, and index of firmness of all pre-treated banana chips were significantly decreased, whereas values for a*, volume shrinkage, and hardness were increased when compared to those without pre-treatment. The ODSu sample provided the lowest oil content. The highest volume shrinkage was obtained from HD and MV treatments. Sensory evaluation revealed that VF chips exhibited the highest scores in color, crispiness, and oiliness when compared to AF chips. ODSu and ODSa samples positively affected the color, crispiness, and taste properties. Practical applications Although there have been several techniques aimed at reducing the oil content of chips, the particular method investigated in the current work, pre-treatment before VF, has not so far been investigated. The application of pre-treatment processes prior vacuum or atmospheric frying in this study could reduce oil absorption and increase the score in sensory properties of fried banana chips. This process could be applied in other fried products in commercial scale.