Vacuum frying is an alternative processing method for producing high quality snacks with the advantages of lower processing temperature, enhanced organoleptic quality, and reduced acrylamide content. Vacuum frying (1.33 kPa), with the aid of a deoiling mechanism, was used to produce low-fat potato chips. The kinetics of oil absorption and oil distribution in the potato chips (total, internal, and surface oil content) was studied so that effectiveness of the de-oiling system could be established. An analysis of product quality attributes (PQA) such as moisture content, oil content, microstructure, diameter shrinkage, and thickness expansion, as well as, bulk density, true density, and porosity of chips fried at different temperatures (120, 130, and 140 degrees C) was performed in order to evaluate the effect of process temperature on the product. Moreover, heat capacity of the chips and convective heat transfer coefficient at the oil-chip interface were determined for the same temperature range. The final oil content of the potato chips was 0.072±0.004, 0.062±0.003, and 0.059±0.003 g/g solid for frying temperatures of 120, 130, and 140 degrees C, respectively. These values are lower (80-85 percent less) than those found in traditionally-fried potato chip which indicates that the de-oiling mechanism is crucial in vacuum frying processing. A significant difference (P<0.05) was observed in oil content and oil distribution within temperatures. It was found that the rate of change in PQAs is greatly affected by temperature; however, the final values of moisture content, bulk density, true density, porosity, diameter shrinkage, and thickness expansion were not affected by temperature. During vacuum frying, the specific heat of potato chips decreased with time as water decreases. The convective heat transfer coefficient changed considerably as frying progresses; moreover, it increased with temperature reaching a maximum between 2,200 and 2,650 W/m2K depending on frying temperature.

Vacuum frying is a promising method for preserving the desired color, texture, and flavor of products with high sugar content. Since most vegetables and fruits degrade when processed with traditional frying, vacuum frying is an excellent alternative to high temperature processing. However, in vacuum frying the product should be pre-treated before frying to obtain a better texture. The kinetics of oil absorption and oil distribution in sweet potato chips (total, internal, and surface oil content) was studied so that effectiveness of the de-oiling system could be established. An analysis of product quality attributes (PQA) such as moisture content, oil content, microstructure, diameter shrinkage, and thickness expansion, as well as, color, texture, bulk density, true density, and porosity of chips fried at different temperatures (120, 130, and 140°C) was performed to evaluate the effect of process temperature on the product. The final oil content of the sweet potato chips was 0.178±0.007, 0.178±0.011, and 0.172±0.002 g/g solid for frying temperatures of 120, 130, and 140ºC, respectively. These values were lower (~60% less) than those found in traditionally fried sweet potato chip, which indicates that the de-oiling mechanism is crucial in vacuum frying processing. It was found that the rate of change in PQAs is greatly affected by temperature; however, the final values of bulk density, true density, porosity, diameter shrinkage, and thickness expansion were not affected by temperature. The texture of the samples was affected by temperature, with the chips fried at 140 degrees C being crispier. In terms of color, the L* and color b* values decreased as temperature increased. While color a* was not affected by temperature. In this study, a two-stage frying process was also evaluated to improve the flavor and texture of sweet potato chips. First, a basket filled with the sweet potato slices was submerged into the oil under atmospheric conditions. As soon as the potato slices were partially cooked (1 min), the pressure was lowered to 1.33 kPa (vacuum frying stage) and the product fried for 2 more min. The products were fried at 130 degrees C for different interval of times. Starch gelatinization, texture, moisture content, and oil content were evaluated at each time interval. Sensory analysis was accomplished by using a consumer panel with 50 members. The samples were compared with the on-stage frying and atmospheric frying processes. The two-stage fried chips had better appearance and texture compared to the ones that were only fried under vacuum or atmospheric conditions. The samples were lighter and more yellow than the chips fried under the single-stage process. In vacuum frying, the temperature of the chips does not reach the gelatinization temperature until most of the water is evaporated. Therefore, there is not sufficient moisture content in the product for gelatinization to occur completely. As a result, the product has a glassy texture. In the two stage frying, the atmospheric frying prior to vacuum frying helps the starch to gelatinize thus producing a better product in terms of texture, oil content, and flavor. The atmospheric fried samples were darker in color and had a scorch taste. The degree of starch gelatinization was 21% higher for the two-stage fried samples than the single-stage fried ones. The application of the dual stage enhances the quality of sweet potato chips, improves consumer satisfaction, and reduces the need for space, cost, and any other needs of blanching pre-treatment to the sweet potato manufacturers.

Fried foods are popular around the world. They are also high in fat and considered unhealthy by many people. Reducing the fat content of fried food may allow for even more growth in their popularity, while allowing for healthier eating. Furthermore, vacuum-frying and frying with nitrogen gas have both been shown to extend the life of frying oil. In this study, the use of novel frying methods as a way to reduce fat content of breaded fried foods was evaluated. A pressure fryer was modified so that fish sticks could be vacuum-fried and fried using external gas (nitrogen and compressed air) as the pressurizing media. These products were compared to those pressure fried and fried atmospherically in terms of crust color, moisture content, oil content, texture, and juiciness. Overall, products fried using nitrogen and air were not found to be significantly different (p < 0.05) from each other. These products were both more tender and lower in oil content than steam-fried fish sticks. The energy to peak load of fish sticks fried with air was 123.10 J/kg, fish sticks fried with nitrogen had an energy to peak load of 134.64 J/kg, and fish sticks fried with traditional pressure frying had a peak load of 158.97 J/kg. The crust oil contents of fish sticks fried with air, nitrogen, and steam were 17.35%, 15.88%, and 23.31% oil by weight, respectively. In other words, using nitrogen or air to fry fish sticks reduced the fat uptake in the crust by 31.8% and 25.6% compared to traditional pressure frying, respectively. The only area where vacuum-frying had a significant effect, when compared to pressure-fried and atmospherically-fried fish sticks, was in juiciness. Vacuum-frying created significantly juicier fish sticks than the other two frying methods. Vacuum-fried fish sticks had juiciness of 43.03% (120oC) and 41.31% (150oC), while pressure-fried fish sticks had juiciness of 30.01% (175oC) and 32.93% (190oC), and atmospherically-fried fish sticks had juiciness of 31.56% (175oC) and 29.38% (190oC). In addition, vacuum-fried fish sticks were more tender than atmospherically-fried fish sticks. The results of this study demonstrated that frying with external pressurizing media can be used to reduce oil content in fish sticks, while also creating products that are more tender than conventionally pressure-fried fish sticks. In addition, vacuum-frying, which has been shown to extend oil life compared to pressure frying because of the lower temperatures involved, can be used to create fish sticks that are comparable to pressure-fried fish sticks, but juicier. / Master of Science

A batch vacuum frying system, which processes fruits and vegetables, includes a frying pan, a surface-condenser, and a vacuum pump. With health and safety issues in mind, this research focused on developing a modified surface-condenser to prevent cavitation of the vacuum pump. The final oil-content was reduced by centrifugal de- oiling of the product under vacuum, which make the product healthier than what is currently available. The de-oiling mechanism consists of a centrifuge with a motor attached to the basket shaft, rotating up to 750 rpm (63 g units). The condenser consists of a (counter- flow) spiral-coil heat exchanger (SHE) connected to a refrigeration system that uses R404a refrigerant. De-oiling for 40 s at 300 and 750 RPM removed up to 67% and 72% of the chip’s surface oil, respectively. At 750 RPM for 10 s, 40 s, and 60 s the oil-content was reduced by 38%, 44%, and 51%, respectively. The convective heat transfer coefficient (h) of the frying oil was determined at 120°C and 140°C using the lumped capacitance method. The h-values were 217±13 W/m2K (120°C) and 258±37 W/m2K (140°C) using a copper-ball thermocouple. The h- values increased to 3.6 times during the boiling period. COMSOLTM Multiphysics was used to model the heat transfer in the vacuum fryer pan. Based on the simulation results, a 1.5 cm thick insulation material was installed in the fryer to reduce the energy losses. The refrigeration system operates at Tevap = -26°C and Tcond = 50°C with 26°C sub-cooling. Sensitivity analysis showed that the system Coefficient of Performance (COP) was about 3.87 at these conditions and compressor power requirement (CPR) was 74 W (85% efficiency) when frying 30 g of potatoes slices. The best results were obtained at Tevap = -10°C and Tcond = 40°C with 26°C sub-cooling and superheat of 5°C. The predicted COP was 4 and the CPR 70 W. The ice-formation on coils reduced the condensation rate. Reducing the refrigerant temperature to -10°C (from -26°C) reduced the condensation rate by 30%. These results show a more effective vacuum frying system for high-quality fruits and vegetables than the system previously used.

Orientador: Yoon Kil Chang / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T11:10:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VernazaLeoro_MariaGabriela_D.pdf: 8287795 bytes, checksum: a64048a016fa41109e78ee329b64b6fb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A demanda por produtos com melhor qualidade nutricional e funcional tem aumentado nos últimos anos. O mercado de alimentos funcionais está aumentando no Brasil apresentando um crescimento superior a 50 % desde 2002. A soja e seus derivados apresentam grande potencial no mercado de alimentos funcionais, especialmente devido à presença das isoflavonas e ao alto teor protéico. Por outro lado, o amido resistente, considerado como um componente da fibra alimentar, não é digerido pelas enzimas presentes no sistema digestóriio dos seres humanos, mas pode ser fermentado pelas bactérias presentes no cólon, produzindo ácidos graxos de cadeia curta, trazendo benefociios á saúde das pessoas. O mercado mundial de macarrão instantâneo vem crescendo a taxas relativamente altas, maior do que o índice apresentado por sua própria categoria (massas alimentícias). O macarrão instantâneo, por ser um produto frito, contém uma alta porcentagem de óleo. Atualmente existe uma grande preocupação relacionada à saúde e ao consumo de alimentos com alto teor de gordura. Por isso, existe a necessidade de desenvolver produtos com melhor valor nutricional e a importância na utilização de novas tecnologias. A fritura a vácuo é uma forma alternativa de cozimento, a qual aumenta a qualidade dos alimentos desidratados. O objetivo geral deste trabalho visou o desenvolvimento de macarrão instantâneo funcional pela adição de amido resistente e isolado protéico de soja obtidos pelos processos de fritura convencional e a vácuo. Para alcançar o objetivo geral, o trabalho foi realizado em 3 etapas: i) Estudo da adição de sal (0-3 %) e de goma guar (0-1,5 %) na produção de macarrão instantâneo obtido pelo processo de fritura convencional, otimizando-se a formulação através da Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta, para obter um produto com características tecnológicas adequadas (baixo teor de gordura e boa firmeza); ii) Estudo da adição de 10 % de três amidos resistentes comerciais diferentes (Hi Maize 260, Promitor e farinha de banana verde) para estudar as propriedades reológicas e escolher a melhor formulação para obtenção de macarrão instantâneo funcional obtido pelos processos de fritura convencional e a vácuo, visando-se a obtenção de um produto com baixo teor de gordura, boa textura e alto teor final de amido resistente, e por ótimo; iii) Estudo da adição de amido resistente tipo 3 (AR3) (0-16 %) e de isolado protéico de soja (0-16 %) na produção de macarrão instantâneo obtido pelos processos de fritura convencional e a vácuo, visando-se a otimização da formulação através da Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta, com intuito de obter um produto com melhores características tecnológicas (baixo teor de gordura e boa firmeza), funcionais e nutricionais (alto teor de fibra e de proteína). Na primeira etapa, os resultados mostraram que a adição de goma guar e sal à formulação de macarrão instantâneo alteraram as propriedades da massa e a qualidade do produto final. Os maiores valores de absorção de gordura e os menores valores de firmeza foram obtidos quando utilizados valores médios das duas variáveis, enquanto que os menores valores foram alcançados ao utilizar os níveis extremos, ou seja, altos níveis de uma variável e baixos da outra, ou vice versa. Analisando os resultados obtidos no delineamento central composto rotacional (DCCR) foi possível escolher uma formulação adequada para dar continuidade ao estudo. Portanto, foi escolhido como ponto ótimo uma formulação com 0,22 % de goma guar e 2 % de sal para obter macarrões instantâneos de boa qualidade, com um teor de gordura moderadamente mais baixo e uma firmeza intermediária. Na segunda etapa, as misturas de farinha de trigo com 10 % de Hi Maize (HM10) (AR2) e Promitor (Prom10) (AR3) n? afetaram significativamente as propriedades reológicas da massa, quando comparados com a mistura com 10 % de farinha de banana verde (Ban10) que alterou significativamente a estabilidade da massa e o indice de tolerância à mistura. Os macarrões instantâneos Prom10 apresentaram as melhores propriedades tecnológicas, sendo que foram obtidos os menores valores de absorção de gordura e os maiores valores de firmeza, quando comparados com os macarrões instantâneos HM10 e Ban10. De uma forma geral, as amostras obtidas pelo processo de fritura a vácuo apresentaram menor teor de gordura, quando comparados aos macarrões obtidos pelo processo de fritura convencional. Concluindo, foi possível obter macarrões instantâneos funcionais com as três formulações diferentes estudadas, pois as amostras apresentaram um teor de amido resistente maior que 3 %, podendo ser declarados como fonte de fibra pela legislação brasileira. Na terceira etapa, as superfícies de resposta mostraram que a adição de amido resistente AR3 e de isolado protéico de soja diminuiu a absorção de gordura quando utilizados os dois processos de fritura (convencional e vácuo). No entanto, os macarrões instantâneos obtidos pelo processo de fritura convencional apresentaram teores de gordura maiores (18,28 - 25,09 %) do que os obtidos pelo processo de fritura a vácuo (18,08 e 22,26 %). Em ambos os processos foi possível obter macarrões instantâneos com um teor de amido resistente significativo (acima de 3 % para todos os ensaios). Na analise de textura, os macarrões obtidos pelo processo de fritura convencional apresentaram uma firmeza maior do que os obtidos pelo processo de fritura a vácuo. As superfícies de resposta mostraram que a adição de amido resistente e de isolado protéico de soja afetaram a firmeza dos macarrões devido à diluição das proteínas do glúten, apresentando macarrões menos firmes. Finalmente, independente do processo de fritura utilizado, ao adicionar 12 % de AR3 e 8 % de IPS foi possível desenvolver um produto funcional com alto teor de fibras, alto teor de proteínas, presença de isoflavonas e com um perfil de aminoácidos melhorado / Abstract: A higher demand for products with better quality has increased the use of new ingredients and new technologies. Therefore, nowadays, there is a greater demand for functional foods. The functional food market is growing in Brazil, showing a 50 % increase since 2002. Soybean and its derivatives present good potential in the functional food market, especially due to the presence of isoflavones and the quality of its protein and polypeptides. On the other hand, resistant starch, considered as a food fiber component, is poorly digested by the enzymes present in the human digestive system, but can be fermented by bacteria present in the colon, producing short chain fatty acids that provide health benefits to the consumer. The world instant noodle market has been growing at relatively high rates, higher than the rate presented by the category as a whole. Since they are fried products, instant noodles contain high levels of residual oil. Currently, there is a considerable concern about health with respect to the consumption of high fat foods. Therefore, there is a need to develop products with enhanced nutritional value and the use of new technologies. The vacuum frying process is an alternative way of cooking, which increases the quality of dehydrated foods when compared to the conventional deep-frying process. The objective of the present work was to develop instant noodles with functional properties, using both conventional and vacuum frying processes to reduce oil absorption and hence caloric content, by the partial substitution of wheat flour with soy protein isolate and resistant starch. To achieve the overall objective, the work was divided into three stages: i) Study of the addition of salt (0-3 %) and guar gum (0-1.5 %) in the production of instant noodles optimizing the formulation by Response Surface Methodology to obtain a product with appropriate technological characteristics (low in fat and good texture); ii) Study of the addition of 10 % of three different commercial resistant starches, such as Hi Maize (HM) (RS2), Promitor (Prom) (RS3) and green banana flour (GBF) to analyze the rheological properties to produce the best formulation of functional instant noodles obtained by both conventional and vacuum frying, in order to obtain a product with adequate technological properties (low in fat, good texture and high content of resistant starch), and finally, iii) Study of the addition of type 3 resistant starch (RS3) (0-16 %) and soy protein isolate (0-16 %) in the production of instant noodles obtained by conventional and vacuum frying, in order to optimize the formulation by Response Surface Methodology with the objective of obtaining a product with adequate technological properties (low fat and good texture) and high nutritional value (high fiber and protein). In the first stage, the results showed that the addition of guar gum and salt to instant noodles formulation changed the properties of the dough and the final product quality. The highest values of fat absorption and the lowest values of firmness were obtained when intermediate levels of the two variables were used, whereas the lowest values were achieved when using the extreme levels, i.e. high levels of one variable and low of the another, or vice versa. Analyzing the results obtained from the central composite rotational design (CCRD) it was possible to choose a suitable formulation to continue the next stages. Therefore, the instant noodles considered optimum in this stage contained 0.22 % guar gum and 2 % salt, resulting in a product of good quality, with significant lower fat content and intermediate firmness. In the second stage, mixtures of wheat flour with 10 % Hi Miaze 260 (HM10) (RS2) and Promitor (Prom10) (RS3) did not significantly affect dough¿s rheological properties when compared to the mixture with 10 % green banana flour (Ban10), that changed drastically the dough stability and the mixing tolerance index. Prom10 noodles presented the best technological properties, obtaining the lowest values of fat absorption and the highest values of firmness. In general, samples obtained by the vacuum frying process had lower fat content, compared to the samples obtained by the conventional frying process. Using the three different formulations, it was possible to obtain functional instant noodles because all samples presented a resistant starch content higher than 3 %, being possible to be claimed as source of fiber according to the Brazilian Legislation. In the third stage, the response surfaces showed that the addition of both resistant starch and soy protein isolate decreased fat absorption when using both frying processes (conventional and vacuum). However, instant noodles obtained by the conventional frying process presented higher levels of fat than those obtained by vacuum frying. In both cases there was a decrease in resistant starch content. In the texture analysis, noodles obtained by the conventional frying process presented higher firmness values than those obtained with the vacuum frying process. The response surfaces showed that resistant starch and soy protein isolate addition affected the firmness of noodles because of the dilution of gluten proteins, showing noodles with lower firmness. In conclusion, regardless of the frying process used in this study, when added 12 % of RS3 and 8 % of soy protein isolate, it was possible to develop a functional product with high fiber content (close to 8 %), high protein content (close to 11 %), isoflavones and with an improved amino acid profile / Doutorado / Doutor em Tecnologia de Alimentos