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Potato quality XIII. Preventing after-cooking discoloration in oil blanched French fries

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Summary

Treatment of slices with a 2% solution of Na2H2P2O7 in the blancher will prevent after-cooking darkening in par-fried French-fries. The Na2H2P2O7 seems to act as a sequestering agent in complexing the ferrous iron in a colorless form. The texture of the finished product is improved and uniform quality control of color is made possible. Sodium acid pyrophosphate does not increase the free fatty acids of the frying media and the increase in the per cent of P2O5 in the treated product is negligible. Frozen French-fries held at O F. that are discolored can be transformed into a creamy white product by dipping them for two minutes in a 2% solution of Na2H2P2O7 at 40 F. The pyrophosphate does not cause the detrimental effects on texture that some acids, sequestering, and chelating agents cause in the finished product.

Several scvreen sizes of Na2H2P2O7 are manufactured. A fast reacting, fine particle size product is necessary for optimum results.

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Paper No. 456. Department of Vegetable Crops, Cornell University.

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Smith, O., Davis, C.O. Potato quality XIII. Preventing after-cooking discoloration in oil blanched French fries. American Potato Journal 39, 45–56 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02861111

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