Preserving potato perfection: Optimizing innovative drying techniques for maintaining physicochemical attributes and starch structure

Abstract

To address the limitations of conventional hot air drying (HAD) for potato dehydration, pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) and humidity-controlled HAD (HC-HAD) were proposed as innovative techniques. In PVD, varying vacuum pulse durations (6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 min) and atmospheric pulse durations (2, 3, 4, and 5 min) were investigated. Under HC-HAD, different humidity control scenarios (40,30+30,90+CF, 50,30+30,90+CF, 40,30+CF, and 50,30+CF) were examined. The study revealed that a 14:2 duration pulsing in PVD retained the color and achieved the highest total phenol content (TPC) and antioxidation activity (conserving 97.50 % and 84.67 % of their fresh values, respectively) but had the longest drying time (260.00 min) compared to HC-HAD and HAD (139.45 min). The 50,30+CF strategy of HC-HAD exhibited the quickest drying time (116.79 min), maintained the color, TPC (87.97 % of the fresh value), and antioxidation activity (71.40 % of the fresh value), and achieved the best potato microstructure and starch structure. Furthermore, Artificial Neural Network simulations for HC-HAD conditions demonstrated significant reliability. These findings provide valuable insights for potato researchers and producers seeking to enhance preservation techniques and prolong the shelf life of potatoes as a staple crop.