Effects of pulsed electric field treatment and raw material storage on processing properties and quality attributes of fried sweet potato chips

• PEF reduces cutting force in sweet potatoes, improving process consistency. • Especially low energy inputs (0.3 kJ/kg) improve crispiness and lower fat content. • Adjusted frying after PEF lowers acrylamide while keeping crispiness. • PEF-treated chips were preferred in sensory tests for crispiness and appearance. • PEF offers a scalable solution to optimize chip quality and process efficiency. Exploring the intersection of innovative processing techniques and storage conditions, this study investigates how pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, and raw material storage impact the quality of sweet potato chips. Acrylamide as a critical process contaminant is considered. Furthermore, crispiness as one of the most important sensory properties of snack products and other quality parameters like fat content and color are analyzed. The application of PEF led to a significant higher crispiness, significant reductions in fat content of sweet potato chips and an enhanced release of reducing sugars from sweet potato slices, which are precursors of acrylamide. Low specific energy inputs (0.3 kJ∙kg -1 ) were advantageous for color and acrylamide content, whereas high PEF treatments (> 1 kJ∙kg -1 ) led to less favorable color values and higher acrylamide contents. Raw material storage led to a reduction in starch and increase in reducing sugar content of sweet potatoes which caused less starch gelatinization during frying leading to higher fat content and reduced crispiness, yet no significant changes in acrylamide content were observed. PEF treated chips were preferred based on their sensory attributes but adaptations of the frying process, due to the altered structural properties, are needed to use the full potential of PEF.