Effect of air frying instead of deep frying on the quality and crust characteristics of French fries

The widespread consumption of French fries across diverse global populations is tempered by notable health concerns associated with their high oil content. This study investigated the impact of air frying, as an alternative to deep frying, on the quality and crust characteristics of French fries. In addition, differences in heat and mass transfer efficiency between air and deep frying were analyzed using the effective moisture diffusion coefficient ( D eff ), microstructural observations, and crust characteristics. The results indicated that compared with the oil content of 44.8% obtained from deep frying, air frying (140°C) for 5–25 min resulted in an oil content of ∼1.2%. Furthermore, fries air fried for 20 min exhibited comparable moisture content (54.14%), color, and texture to deep-fried (180°C, 4 min) fries. Further analysis revealed that although the D eff during deep frying was five times higher than that during air frying (1.7184 × 10−7 m 2 /s), no significant difference was observed in the crust characteristics between the two frying methods. Consequently, these findings provide valuable insights to inform the development of effective strategies for substituting deep frying with air frying during the preparation of low-fat fried potato products.