Production of banana chips using different drying methods

Abstract

Banana chips (sweet and salty) are consumed as an alternative breakfast cereal either fried in oil or dried. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effect of using different drying methods on banana chips. They were produced in three different ways: fried in oil and dried in either a microwave oven or conventional hot air oven. Sweet and salty banana chips were evaluated for chemical composition, color, measurement of texture and sensory evaluation. The optimal conditions for fried banana chips in oil were obtained at a temperature of 160°C for 3 minutes with a slice thickness of 2 mm. As for the microwave, the sample was fried at power 7 for 7 minutes. The oven fried sample was done at 70°C for 30 minutes. The results indicated that moisture and fat content increased significantly in sweet and salt banana chips fried in oil. However, ash and fiber content were significantly decreased in oil-fried banana chips and increased in both oven and microwave-banana fried chips. The protein content in oven-fried banana chips was significantly higher. The color of sweet and salt microwave-banana fried chips were higher in Lightness (L) values and lower in redness (a) values. The hardness increased in sweet oven-fried and salty microwave-banana fried chips. Regarding sensory evaluation, most of the panelists reported that salty microwave-fried and sweet oil-fried banana chips were more acceptable. Accordingly, this study recommends using microwave and conventional hot air oven in banana chips production.