A study was conducted to determine how frying slices of potato would enhance the antioxidative activity. The content per unit weight of such antioxidants as L-ascorbic acid and chlorogenic acid in raw potato was nearly doubled when the slices were fried. Ultrafiltration of the water-soluble extract taken from the potato chips revealed the medium moleculare weight fraction of 3,000 to 20,000 to have high anti-oxidative activity, although the amount was small. This medium moleculare weight fraction had a strong brown color, due to melanoidin. There was a large amount of the fraction with a molecular weight of less than 3,000, and this fraction contributed 91% of the total antioxidative activity. It appears that chlorogenic acid and melanoidin were responsible for the antioxidative activity of this low molecular weight fraction.
The DPPH radical scavenging activity of 19 kinds of potato snack foods was compared. There was higher activity in the potato chips made from raw potato than in those that had been more highly processed.
