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

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.