Influence of different osmotic dehydration pretreatment on the physiochemical and sensory characteristics of fried cassava chips (Manihot esculenta)

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of sodium chloride (NAC) and sucrose (SC) as osmotic agents for the osmotic dehydration and water pretreatment (WO) on the physical properties and sensory characteristics of fried cassava (Manihot esculenta) chips. Cassava was sliced into chips and pretreated using sodium chloride (30% w/v), sucrose (30% w/v) and water. Pretreated cassava chips were fried after which the weight loss: NAC (85%), SC (70%), and WO (65%) pretreated samples, as well as the control (40%), had a significant effect on % weight loss (p < 0.05), but the cassava chips treated with NAC attained the highest % WL compared to the SC and WO. Sensory Analysis showed high acceptance for NAC pretreated fried cassava chips than the SC and WO pretreated fried cassava chips. The SC, WO, and untreated fried cassava chip samples came in second third and fourth respectively, while the NAC pretreated fried cassava chip samples received the highest ratings for appearance, color, texture (mouth feel), flavor, and overall acceptability: Mass transfer and shrinkage properties were assessed. The sensory attributes of the samples were assessed using 15 untrained panels. The study revealed that sample (NAC) pretreated fried chips from the sensory analysis were most preferred by the respondents in terms of texture, taste, colour, and overall acceptance. The weibul model matched the experimental findings more closely than the Newton model and enhanced the frying kinetics.