Comparative study of physical and sensory properties of corn chips made by continuous vacuum drying and deep fat frying

Corn chips were produced by a continuous vacuum drying (CVD) method and compared with those made by conventional deep-fat frying (DFF). The CVD chips developed an expanded structure and contained 1.57-1.82 g oil/100 g, depending on initial thickness, compared to 33.37-34.80 g oil/100 g for DFF chips. Consumer panels indicated that 22.7% of panelists would “probably” or “definitely” purchase either CVD or DFF chips. While likability of DFF chips was somewhat higher (hedonic scores of 5.3-6.56) than those for CVD chips (4.25-4.33), panelists indicated that flavor, texture, being low in fat and price were leading factors that would influence purchase. CVD chips had color values closer to fresh corn flour. Texture analysis showed that CVD chips had slightly higher fracture force (778.4-2910.4 g) than DFF chips (547.8-1955.9 g). Acoustic analysis showed that CVD chips had more sound events and greater sound energy. Frequency analysis showed that both products contained frequencies typical of crisp products, although CVD chips had higher frequency peaks, particularly for thicker chips.

► Low fat tortilla snack chips were prepared by a novel continuous vacuum belt drying system. ► 71% of panelists indicated that “lowfat” would be an important factor influencing the purchase of tortilla chips. ► Vacuum dried chips developed an expanded structure and measureable crispness attributes. ► Panelists found the vacuum chips to be acceptable in flavor and texture but were slightly less acceptable than fried chips.