Alternative Thawing Methods for the Blanched/Non‐Blanched Potato Cubes: Microwave, Ohmic, and Carbon Fiber Plate Assisted Cabin Thawing

Abstract

The effects of conventional-C, carbon fiber plate assisted cabinet heater-CPAC, ohmic-OT, and microwave thawing-MT techniques on changes of some quality characteristics and resistant starch (RS) content of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cubes (18 3 18 3 18 mm) were investigated. The effects of blanching prior to the freezing on thawing characteristics were also determined. The thawing times of non-blanched samples were determined as 23,580 6 485 s, 5360 6 40 s, 205 6 18.25 s and 19.26 6 1.49 s for conventional, CPAC, OT, and MT methods, respectively. The blanching process increased the thawing times in general. OT and CPAC thawing methods served lower RS content for thawed potato samples. The potato cubes thawed by OT and MT were softer than C and CPAC thawed potato cubes (P < 0.05). The highest color change was found for MT of blanched samples and conventional thawing of non-blanched samples. The electrical methods could be alternative thawing methods in terms of providing shorter thawing times and desirable changes on some quality characteristics. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe conventional thawing of high amount of frozen food products have posed a problem for catering industry. The long thawing time, drip loss issues, quality loses and possible microbial spoilage are lacks of conventional thawing method. The electroheating methods such as ohmic, microwave and unique carbon fiber plate assisted cabinet heating were employed as alternative thawing techniques. Thawing time of potato cubes were shortened and quality characteristics, such as drip loss, texture profile, color properties and resistant starch (RS), were improved by novel thawing methods. The obtained results reveal that the application of alternative thawing methods may lead to decreasing of the operating cost due to shorter process time and minimizing the changes in color, texture and nutritional compounds.

Karbon Fiber Destekli Kabin Kurutucuda Farklı Sıcaklıklarda Elma Dilimlerinin Kurutulmasının İncelenmesi: Kurutma Karakteristikleri ve Performans Değerlendirmesi

“…KFKK ünitesinin alt ve üst kısmının iç yüzeyleri karbon fiber ısıtıcı plakaları ile kaplanmıştır ve ünite iç ortam sıcaklığı ayarlanabilmektedir [20] [44]. Bu yaklaşımlardan biri olan film teorisi, kurutma işlemi gibi karmaşık aktarım mekanizmalarının pratik çözümü amacıyla havanın difüze olmayan bileşen olduğu ve durağan ortam olarak kabul edildiği durumda, su buharının hava içinde aktarımını moleküler difüzyon tetikli-taşınımla kütle aktarımı olarak kabul etmektedir.…”

Effects of voltage gradient and fat content on changes of electrical conductivity of frozen minced beef meat during ohmic thawing

“…Ohmic heating can be used for different purposes in processing of food materials such as heating, pasteurization, cooking, sterilization, blanching, thawing, etc. (Bozkurt & Icier, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c; Içier et al, ; Icier, Yucel Sengun, Yildiz Turp, & Arserim, ; Icier, Cokgezme, & Sabanci, ; Icier, Yildiz, Sabanci, Cevik, & Cokgezme, ; Ozkan, Ho, & Farid, ; Palaniappan & Sastry, 1991a, 1991b; Roberts, Balaban, & Luzuriaga, ; Sensoy & Sastry, ; Wang & Sastry, ).…”

Effect of Microwave Frying on Acrylamide Formation in Potato Chips

“…However, in traditional heating methods, the heat is transmitted from the surface to the inside of the food. The popularity of microwave heating increases in heat treatment applications because of increasing preference for high quality products that can be prepared in a short period of time along with the development of technology [11,12,[16][17][18][19][20] However, the effect of microwave frying on acrylamide content of potato strips has also been studied recently and it was found that the acrylamide content of microwave fried potatoes was lower compared to those fried in conventional deep fryer because of the shorter frying time [11]. There are few studies in literature about the effects of microwave frying on acrylamide formation.…”