Quality attributes of vacuum fried fruits and vegetables: a review

Foods, rich in oil content, have been found to be a key dietary contributor of certain chronic diseases such as cardio-vascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, etc. Therefore, the market trends are shifting towards low-fat containing foods. Oil rich foods are generally fried products where oil is absorbed during frying process. Vacuum-frying has been identified as an alternative to traditional frying. It is also highly suitable for frying of sugar rich fruits which otherwise is not possible in traditional frying as it leads to browning of the end product making them unacceptable. This review is a compilation of recent research works done in the area of vacuum frying of fruits and vegetables and allied products and gives an insight to the physical and chemical changes occurring during vacuum frying of fruits and vegetables. The effects of pre-treatments, processing conditions as well as use of novel technologies in combination with vacuum frying on quality characteristics of products have also been discussed. Emphasis has also been given on future aspects of vacuum frying with respect to fruits and vegetables processing.