Project

Effect of Ripening Stages on The Quality of Vacuum Fried Tropical Fruits

Tropical fruit has been widely recognized for their sensorial quality and their health benefits, being an important source of carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, fibers and a large number of bioactive compounds that contribute to human health. On the other hand, in Europe fresh tropical fruit supply is limited due to transportation and the quantity. Furthermore, Indonesia as a large producer of tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango, avocado and papaya has a minimum contribution to the European market. Due to a limited shelf life and the necessity of air transport, fresh fruit needs to be processed to prolong the shelf life and increase its value. Attention to various processes that enables to maintain its health and nutritional benefit has been increased. Vacuum frying is an emerging technology of innovative processing in recent years for fruit and vegetable products. Vacuum frying may process fresh fruit into chips that have low moisture and fat content, while preserving health benefit.

Effects of some processing variables such as frying temperature, vacuum level, frying time and pre-treatments to the fruit chips haves been investigated. Fruit properties, structural, composition, and bioactive compound content will be changed during ripening. Yamsaengsung, Ariyapuchai have studied the effect of ripening on physical and textural changes of the product. Starches that converted to sucrose and maltose during banana ripening affect the product expansion and diameter shrinkage. Though, the effect to the vacuum fried fruits quality attributes such as color, texture, structures and bioactive compounds, during vacuum frying has not been studied.
Some of the research topics which involve experimental work in the laboratory might be, as followed:
1. Study on the effect of ripening stages to the quality of vacuum fried fruits on the fried products on the as color, texture, structures and bioactive compounds properties
2. Study of kinetic of the bioactive compound during vacuum frying process.
Since fruits used for this thesis will be banana, avocado, mango, pineapple, and watermelon. the project will need five students.