Improvement of the color of potato chips from cold‐stored tubers by pretreatment with ultrasonication.

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Low‐temperature sweetening is a crucial aspect in the potato chips industry because of the initiation of browning. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of ultrasonication on the concentrations of reducing sugars, sucrose, asparagine and chip color on tubers with different characteristics. Therefore, samples of the cultivars (cvs.) Nicola, Laura and Golden Wonder were used in this study. The tubers were initially stored at 4 °C and a relative humidity of 90% for 18 weeks. Ultrasonication was applied at 25 and 50 °C for 10, 20 and 30 min.The results showed that ultrasonication contributed to improve the color of the chips produced from the chip cultivar (cv. Golden Wonder), as well as the non‐chip cultivars (cvs. Nicola and Laura). The concentration of reducing sugars and sucrose is the main factor for the color development of the chips. Increased temperature and extended ultrasonication duration correlate with more pronounced cell wall disruption.The present study revealed that ultrasonication could be considered as a pretreatment for production of chips from cold‐stored tubers. However, it is necessary to validate the feasibility of this application in an upscaled process. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]