COLOUR AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF FRIED CHIPS FROM THREE BREADFRUIT (ARTOCARPUS ALTILIS) CULTIVARS

The effects of pre-drying on colour and other sensory characteristics of fried breadfruit chips and the suitability of three cultivars, the local ‘Yellow’ and two imported cultivars, ‘Afara’ and ‘Piipiia’, for fried chip production were investigated. For the pre-drying treatment, slices of green mature fruit, 4 mm thick, were subjected to convection-drying at 60°C for 20 m prior to deep-frying at 205°C for 1-4 m. Colour was measured and evaluated with other sensory attributes by hedonic testing. The average yield of edible portion of mature fruit varied significantly (P<0.01) for ‘Afara’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Piipiia’ and was 83.9, 82.5 and 66.6%, respectively. Untreated chips (control) were lighter and less chromatic than the pre-dried chips. Untreated chips were preferred (P<0.01) for all sensory attributes to the pre-dried chips. Fried ‘Yellow’ and ‘Afara’ chips had greater (P<0.05) overall acceptability than ‘Piipiia’. In conclusion, pre-drying affected sensory characteristics of fried breadfruit chips negatively and ‘Afara’ is a potential substitute for ‘Yellow’ for fried chip production.