A heat and mass-transfer model coupled with reaction kinetics was developed to simulate frying. Obtaining an accurate mathematical model of the Maillard reaction and the heat and mass transfer is crucial for predicting the transient acrylamide formation, temperature, and water content in French fries. The objective of this study was to mitigate the formation of acrylamide in a potato strip by adopting a temperature step frying approach (TSFA). A considerable increase in the water content and a decrease in the temperature and acrylamide formation were observed in a potato strip fried with the TSFA compared with a potato strip fried without the TSFA process. The acrylamide content in a potato strip when fried using the TSFA decreased considerably to 57% of that in a potato strip fried without using the TSFA. Simulation of the acrylamide distribution in a potato strip revealed that the crust contains the highest amount of acrylamide. The proposed model can be successfully used to obtain high-quality products, mitigate acrylamide formation, and save energy.
Keywords: acrylamide; kinetics; mathematical model; simulation; water content.