KINETICS of QUALITY CHANGE DURING COOKING and FRYING of POTATOES: PART II. COLOR

Abstract

ABSTRACT Color, as a quality attribute of cooked and fried potatoes, is affected by the extent and nature of heat during thermal processing. Improvement of color parameters has been made possible by the increase in knowledge of kinetics of color change. Analysis of kinetic data allows processors to minimize undesirable changes and optimize color retention. the objective of this study was to evaluate kinetics of color change during cooking and frying of potatoes. Potatoes were cut into cylinders (diameter × height: 20 mm × 20 mm for cooking and 10 mm × 20 mm for frying) and cooked in a temperature controlled water bath at 80–100C or fried in a commercial fryer at 160–190C for selected times. Color changes associated with cooked and fried potatoes were evaluated using a tristiumulus colorimeter in the L, a, b mode. For cooked potatoes, L and b values decreased while ΔE and a values increased with time at each cooking temperature. For fried potatoes, L value decreased while a, b and ΔE values increased as frying time increased. A modified first order model was used to characterize color change kinetics of both cooked and fried potatoes based on changes occurring between the initial and a maximum or minimum value. Temperature sensitivity of rate constants was adequately described by the Arrhenius and z‐value models.