Fortification of fried potato chips with antioxidant vitamins to enhance their nutritional value and storage ability

Abstract

The frying shelf life of commercial frying oil was increased by the addition of synthetic and natural antioxidants, e.g. TBHQ, retinyl palmitate and ascorbyl palmitate (antioxidant vitamins).The results revealed that TBHQ had the best effect in retarding the deteriorative effect of frying conditions throughout 24h of frying potato chips at 180±10 ºC followed by the effect of retinyl palmitate and the effect of ascorbyl palmitate compared to the control without any additives. Fried potato chips in oils either with or without antioxidant were collected during the first 8h of frying, divided into 3 main portions each portion had different treatment; 1) without any additives (control samples for fried potatoes resulting from the control oil or from oil containing TBHQ or containing retinyl or ascorbyl palmitate. 2) fortification of the above 4 samples with vitamin E (tocopherol) by dipping each of the resulting samples from the four frying trials separately in oil containing 0.1 % tocopherol. 3) fortification of each of the above mentioned samples with vitamin C by dispersing the mixture of fine salt and ascorbyl palmitate on the fried chips' surface and vigorous shaking in bags. The control samples and fortified samples were packed in aluminum bags and stored in an electric oven at 63±1 ºC . The storage ability of fried potatoes at 63±1 ºC was increased by the fortification with antioxidant vitamins either with vitamin E (tocopherol) or with vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate) before packaging and storing at 63±1 ºC. The results indicated that potatoes fried in oil without any additives (control) had the lowest storage stability and that it was increased by the fortification with antioxidant vitamins, C or E. Potato chips fortified with vitamins A or C by frying in oil containing retinyl palmitate or ascorbyl palmitate and also in oil containing TBHQ had better storage ability at 63 ºC and this was also prolonged by the addition of vitamin E or C after the frying processes and before storing at 63 ºC in aluminium bags. This demonstrated the synergistic effect of the antioxidant vitamins which work either alone or complementary to each other along with the protective effect of the phenolic antioxidant (TBHQ) which protected these vitamins by supporting their antioxidant function.