Crispy fruit and vegetable chips are made using the processing method known as vacuum frying. It has a number of benefits over air frying, including a decrease in enzymatic browning, lipid degradation, nutrient loss, the production of carcinogenic chemicals, and oil absorption.
Vacuum frying uses low oxygen and low-temperature conditions to prevent acrylamide production and lipid oxidation while preserving the product's original color, flavor, and nutrients. The sector for vacuum-fried fruit and vegetable chips has rapidly expanded in recent years, spurred on by the introduction of vacuum-fried goods by significant snack firms. The quality of vacuum-fried chips is improved by using pre-processing methods such as blanching, osmosis, coating, freezing, pre-drying, and ultrasound to reduce the oil content.
The sample structure closely affects the oil content of vacuum-fried chips; higher oil content is produced by samples with more pores, whereas lower oil content is produced by samples with fewer pores. Since the porous structure created during freeze-drying makes it easier for oil to absorb during vacuum frying, pre-treating samples through freeze-drying enhances their oil content while hot air drying reduces it. Thus, by modifying the sample structure by pre-processing, the oil content of vacuum-fried fruit and vegetable chips can be controlled.
