Enzyme assisted fermentation of potato pulp: An effective way to reduce water holding capacity and improve drying efficiency

The effects of an enzyme-assisted fermentation technique on the water holding capacity (WHC) and drying characteristics of potato pulp were investigated. Potato pulp was fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum to increase the content of organic acids, reduce the pH of the pulp and assist in enhancing the enzymatic hydrolysis. Removal of pectin and cellulose reduced the WHC of potato pulp from 16.84 to 6.83 and 9.64 g/g, respectively. Drying characteristics were determined using the air-drying process, which indicated that pectinase-assisted fermentation could remove pectin from potato pulp and shorten the air-drying time from 240 to 140 min, while cellulase had an opposite effect on the drying rate. This result was also confirmed by low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), which showed more mobile water and less bonded water in pectin-removed potato pulp samples.