Sakamon Devahastin
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
Somkiat Prachayawarakorn
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
Somchart Soponronnarit
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
Snacks, especially those from fruits and vegetables, are conventionally prepared by deep-fat frying in vegetable oils. Although frying results in products with excellent texture and other organoleptic characteristics, the high fat content of such products is nowadays not preferred by health-conscious consumers. Some fried products also cannot be stored for an extended period of time because of possible lipid oxidation, leading to rancidity. During the past decade, many alternative technologies have been proposed to alleviate the aforementioned limitations of deep-fat frying; the use of advanced drying technologies, in combination with appropriate sample pre-treatment, is among the most promising means to produce healthy snacks with acceptable texture and other organoleptic properties.
In this presentation, a brief review is given of the use of selected drying technologies to produce healthy snacks. The focus will be on the use of superheated steam drying and far-infrared assisted drying, both with and without sample pre-treatment prior to drying. Puffing and foaming as a means to create more porous structure and to improve the texture of various fruit-based snacks will also be outlined and discussed.
(Presented in the 2012 Asian Food Heritage Forum: Harmonizing Culture , Technology and Industry, 20-21 August 2012, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Chinese Dietary Culture Institute, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Ministry of Culture, Thailand)