Magnesium ion impregnation in potato slices to improve cell integrity and reduce oil absorption in potato chips during frying.

The effect of structural alteration of potato tissues by using divalent ions on oil uptake, texture, and color of deep-fat fried potato chips. The structure modification was achieved by sonication-assisted vacuum impregnation (SVI), with varying sonication times and soaking concentrations of MgCl. SVI pretreated (sonicated by 50 min in a 15K magnesium solution) potato chips had 20% and 41% less oil content than the NSVI and control samples, respectively; and absorbed 29% more magnesium than the NSVI samples. The SVI pretreatment significantly affected product texture, color, shrinkage, and porosity. Potato chips treated with combined MgCl and CaCl received a significant higher score than the other two treatments because of the improved sample's texture (crispness). Microscopic analysis of SEM images showed a well-intact cellular structure and thicker middle lamelae after SVI treatment compared to the control samples.