2020 Volume 67 Issue 11 Pages 442-450
The firmness and components of potato were preliminarily modified by freeze-thaw impregnation with macerating enzymes and emulsified oil, and inhibited shrinkage in convective drying and caused to change into porous structure after the drying. The inner structure of dried potato was observed by X-ray computed tomography, and it was confirmed that the porosity was increased from 25 to 57 % for samples softened by impregnation of macerating enzymes. Analysis of the mechanical properties of dried potato using an instrumental measurement suggested that the impregnated emulsifier miniaturized the void shapes and that the impregnated oil changed the sample’s brittleness. It was found that the use of a 10-15 % (w/w) oil concentration in the impregnating solution was suitable for producing a brittle structure. This study showed that the freeze-thaw impregnation technique contributes to the quality of dried foodstuffs.
