Study Shows How to Prepare Microwave Potato Chips with Low Acrylamide Content
A new study reveals that it is important to control the microwave power, frying temperature and frying time during the microwave frying process, in order to control the level of acrylamide in fried foods.
The study recently published in World Journal of Food Science and Technology also shows that there was a significant difference in acrylamide contents in the potato chips fried in corn oil and RBD palm olein. Among the potato chips samples, 40% had lower acrylamide levels than the maximum values recommended by the European Commission.
High levels of acrylamide observed in the remaining 60% of the potato chips samples may be due to high thermal processes during microwave frying, according to the study. The potato chips fried at 200 W, low temperature (160°C), and low frying time led to minimum acrylamide content.
The acrylamide content in microwave-fried potato chips increased significantly as microwave power level, frying temperature and duration increased. The results showed that microwave frying at 800 W, and 180°C might be more favorable to the formation of acrylamide compared with low microwave power level and low temperature.
Therefore, it is recommended to use lower frying temperatures and low frying time, which will lead to a reduction of acrylamide formation. In addition, the researchers found that the formation of acrylamide was related with the increase in temperatures and frying time.
The acrylamide formation increased according with time for all temperatures for the microwave-fired potato chips fried in RBD palm olein. When frying potato chips in microwave oven at high temperature (180°C/120 s), the acrylamide content was the highest; the acrylamide formation then decreased by ~89% when temperatures changed from 180°C to 170°C at 120 s, and about 90% from 180°C to 160°C at 150 s.
