The effects of different cooking methods on the physicochemical properties of potatoes, carrots, and cultivated mushrooms

This study investigated the effects of different cooking techniques (hot-air baking and deep frying) on digestibility, thermal properties, and functional compounds of potatoes, carrots, and cultivated mushrooms. Color values (Hunter L, a, b, and ΔE), thermal properties (To and ΔH values), total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, estimated glycemic index (eGI), and sensory properties analyses were carried out on the obtained products. According to the results, a statistically significant (p<0.05) effect of different cooking techniques on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of cooked potato, carrot, and cultivated mushroom samples was found. The eGI values of the samples were ranged in 42.82-68.50 and had low (<55) glycemic indexes, with the exception of deep-fried carrot samples. With the cooking process, a decrease was observed in the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the samples. The sensory analysis results determined that the panelists gave higher scores to the deep-fried samples than the baked samples. In addition, the general acceptance scores of deep-fried products were higher. As a result, the baking process is recommended for the preservation of physicochemical properties of the samples, although deep frying provided higher scores for sensorial properties.