November 4/Food Business Week -- According to a study from Mysore, India, "Deteriorative characteristics of potato and tapioca chips fried in refined sunflower oil and banana and jackfruit chips fried in coconut oil were monitored by exposing them to different relative humidities (RH). For hard chips from banana, tapioca and jackfruit, the critical RH was 44% as against 33% for highly porous potato chips."

"Tapioca and potato chips fried in refined sunflower oil were prone to oxidative rancidity. Banana and jackfruit chips fried in coconut oil were prone to hydrolytic rancidity above 64% RH, which is above their critical RH with respect to loss of sensory crispness. Owing to the lesser porosity, banana and jackfruit chips took longer periods to cross the critical moisture content," wrote N.S. Vijayalakshmi and colleagues.

The researchers concluded, "Hence, they had relatively longer shelflife than the ones fried in refined sunflower oil."

Vijayalakshmi and colleagues published the results of their research in the Journal of Food Science and Technology - Mysore ("Package Design for Chips Based on Their Deteriorative Characteristics, Size and Permeability of Packages." Journal of Food Science and Technology - Mysore, 2009;46(5):450-454).

For additional information, contact N.S. Vijayalakshmi, CSIR, Cent. Food Technology Research Institute, Food Packaging Technology Department, Mysore 570020, Karnataka, India.

From the November 9, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition