Fractal Analysis and Crust Water Diffusivity of a Restructured Potato Product During Deep‐Fat Frying

Abstract

ABSTRACT The effect of added fructose (0–10% w/w) on restructured potato product surface characteristics, mechanical properties, moisture loss, oil uptake and color changes during deep‐fat frying was investigated. The apparent fractal dimension derived from the silhouettes of the sample contour was related to surface ruggedness, and displayed a marked linear effect of the added fructose on reducing its value from 1.27 to 1.08. The apparent fractal dimension correlated linearly with oil uptake and U R , suggesting a practical criterion for predicting oil uptake during deep‐fat frying. Added fructose reduced water diffusivity coefficients of pre‐fried specimens from 2.00 × 10 −9 to 1.26 × 10 −9 m 2 /s. Porosity ranged from 0.79 to 0.82.