Chip Celebration

Railroad magnate Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, while on vacation in Saratoga Springs, NY, 150 years ago, sent his fried potatoes back to the kitchen complaining of their thickness. Head Chef George Crum, annoyed by the criticism, decided to have a little fun. He sliced some potatoes paper-thin, fried them to a crisp in oil and topped them with salt. An intended prank became an instant sensation. Initially called Saratoga Chips, these thin, fried potatoes soon became known as potato chips.

“Perhaps nothing is more American than the potato chip,” says Ann Wilkes, vice president of communications for the Snack Food Association, Alexandria, VA. “Potato chips — in their many variations — were all developed here. They are a part of the American culture and are usually a component of picnics and parties. In fact, the biggest chipping occasions of the year are New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day.

“Potato chips have become America’s favorite snack, with annual U.S. retail sales in excess of $6 billion,” Wilkes adds. Indeed, potato chips lead the total U.S. retail market for salted snacks, followed by tortilla and corn-based chips, according to the report “The U.S. Market for Salted Snacks” (June 2002), from Packaged Facts, New York. In fact, potato chips command about 30% of the salted-snack-food share; tortilla and corn-based chips combined follow closely with slightly more than 25% share.

The current low-carbohydrate craze may temper growth of the potato-chip category; however, Packaged Facts projects growth will continue at a moderate annual pace of 4.7% during the next three years. New flavors and product introductions will drive this growth, with robust, strong flavors preventing this 150-year-old snack from going stale. Premium products, such as gourmet chips with higher price tags, will capture more of the potato-chip market. Niche markets will also grow — particularly products that appeal to Hispanic consumers, according to the report.

Packaged Facts projects the market for tortilla and corn-based chips to grow about 7.8% annually for the next three years. Since Doritos® debuted in 1964, consumers have been fascinated with highly seasoned corn-based chips, with spicy and bold flavors driving the category’s growth. Innovative shapes, such as those designed to scoop salsa and other dips, will help drive the overall tortilla- and corn-based-chip category, along with consumers’ increasing interest in Hispanic foods and overall growth in the U.S. Hispanic population.

“The facts that chips are convenient and we live in an on-the-go society make all types of chips very attractive to today’s consumers,” adds Wilkes. “Flavored chips continue to grow in popularity because consumers do not even have time to dip their chip anymore. By putting the flavor on the chips, the dipping step is removed from the equation.”

In the beginning, not much thought was put into the oil used to fry potato slices. But oil was deemed essential, as it is a heat-transfer medium, cooking raw chips, which today can be so much more than potato slices. Extruded, wet corn masa or sheeted, baked corn tortilla serve as the basis for corn-based and tortilla chips. Products made from vegetables or grains, such as carrot, rice, sweet potato, taro, wheat and yucca have also sprung up in the marketplace. Frying in oil is basically a dehydration process: Oil drives water out of fried food. Some of the oil becomes part of the finished chip, imparting characteristic taste and mouthfeel.

Potato-chip frying is the most intense of all snack-food frying processes, as potatoes used for chipping are ideally about 75% water (25% total solids), and need to be reduced to about 1.5% water. Other chips have much lower moisture loss during frying. For example, baked tortilla pieces enter the fryer at 14% to 20% moisture. In general, 100 lbs. of potatoes yields about 35 lbs. of potato chips. This includes the weight of the oil absorbed, which is approximately 35% of the finished weight of the chips. “Complete or partial replacement of frying with an alternative drying operation helps control the oil content of finished chips,” says Wilbur Gould, consulting food technologist to the Snack Food Association.

Other variables that affect the oil content of chips include surface area and chip thickness. The final oil content of chips decreases when there is less surface area available for oil absorption in relation to chip volume.

A fat-stripping chamber installed at the discharge end of a continuous-fryer system will remove some of the oil adsorbed onto the surface of the chips, and has been shown to reduce the fat content of chips from 35% to 20%, or lower. Fat-stripping basically involves conveying chips through a chamber where high-velocity fans circulate the atmosphere, while injected steam reduces the oxygen level inside the chamber. This system strips surface oil from the chips. If handled properly, manufacturers can reuse the recovered oil, presenting a cost-savings opportunity.

Frying time and temperature depend on the chip’s composition and thickness, and can influence the oil content. Higher temperatures yield chips with less oil than lower temperatures because hotter oil has a lower density and is not adsorbed as easily. Also, lower frying temperatures require longer frying times, allowing the chip surface to adsorb more oil. Keep in mind that a too-high frying temperature can burn chips and break down the oil, while a too-short cooking time will produce too-moist chips. Oil temperatures typically range from 340° to 360°F, which will turn potato slices into standard chips in less than four minutes. Thicker slices require longer cooking times.

The type of fryer influences chip characteristics. Snack manufacturers use two basic types of fryers — batch and continuous — with commercial chips use a continuous system. Today’s batch methods mimic the original potato-chip fryers, and make home-style, old-fashioned or kettle chips, which possess a unique texture favored by many potato-chip aficionados. Foodservice establishments make “fresh” chips with batch systems, as do upscale grocery stores. Recently, select grocery chains owned by Albertsons Inc., Boise, ID, have started selling Fresh Fried Potato Chips made in batch kettles at the deli counter.

Batch systems fry all of the potato slices at once, using a low temperature profile, much like chippers did 150 years ago. To prevent slices from clumping or developing soft centers, the mass of potato slices must be continually raked, often manually. However, some advanced batch fryers include automatic stirring systems, which improves product consistency.

Continuous fryers, typically configured as long, wide, shallow pan-like tanks, have an automated system that stirs or turns the chips. Chips travel from one end to the other on a conveyor system that is located below the surface of the oil; another conveyor keeps the chips submerged in the oil.

Multizone continuous-fryer systems are a fairly recent processing advancement in chip manufacturing. These units inject and remove oil at various inlets and outlets along the assembly. This provides more accurate temperature control and enables lower frying temperatures, which saves energy. Manufacturers can use multizone fryers to manipulate product quality and characteristics such as color and texture.

Regardless of the frying method, manufacturers must control and monitor frying time and temperature to produce uniform, high-quality chips. When manufacturing a variety of snack foods, it is helpful to dedicate fryer lines to one base material, i.e., one line for potato slices and the other for corn-based snacks, since oils pick up flavors from the foods they fry.

Manufacturing potato chips is as simple as slice, fry and season. Well, sort of.

“Potatoes are as different as people,” says Gould. “Potatoes are also the first and most important requirement when manufacturing potato chips. In fact, most of the complaints and compliments about potato chips can be traced directly back to the quality of the raw potato. The potato is the biggest and most difficult variable to control.”

When choosing potatoes for chipping, look at visible potato characteristics including size and shape, as well as certain analytical measurements, such as specific gravity, which is the amount of solids in the potato or, conversely, the water content. Potatoes with high specific gravity, and thus higher solids, make better chipping potatoes than those with high water content. Total solids should be in the range of 20% to 23%, which equates to specific gravities of 1.080 to 1.095, respectively. The highest-quality potatoes typically have more than 25% total solids, which equates to a specific gravity of 1.105 or higher.

“Many chippers will not accept potatoes if the specific gravity is below 1.080,” says Gould. “This is because potatoes low in specific gravity require more energy to remove the moisture, which also results in greater oil absorption by the chip.” This increases processing costs and produces a lower-quality potato chip. In general, each 0.005 increase in specific gravity increases chip yield by about 1.0% and reduces oil content by 1.7%.

Another consideration in choosing potato varieties is the wide variation in their ability to retain sugars during storage, which is a function of their genetic make-up.

“Most people associate sugar with the sweet taste of candy rather than the salty taste of potato chips. But sugar is vital to the taste, color and quality of chips,” says Gould. “Dark-brown or black chips generally result when the level of reducing sugars (glucose and fructose) in the tuber is too high. Depending on frying conditions, reducing sugars in excess of 0.10% can present a serious problem to the chipper. However, in some manufacturing environments, reducing sugars as high as 0.20% can still make an acceptable chip.” Once a chip manufacturer defines the potato specifications for the desired end product, all potatoes purchased for chipping must be in compliance.

Other vegetables can be sliced and fried. The Hain Celestial Group, Melville, NY, has seen great success with its Terra Chips® line. The company recently introduced Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips — a medley of sliced and fried batata, parsnip, taro, ruby taro (taro dyed with beet juice), sweet potato and yucca — in Mediterranean and Zesty Tomato flavors. The Mediterranean flavor blends garlic, oregano and cold-pressed olive oil, while Zesty Tomato is a savory combination of vine-ripened tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and celery.

Technically, any snack chip that is not simply a slice of something, like a potato or other vegetable, is a fabricated chip. However, because corn-based, tortilla-style chips have been around for a very long time, they often fall into a class by themselves.

These chips start with whole-corn or masa flour. The formulation often uses dent corn, as it’s a good combination of hard starch and soft starch, enabling it to absorb water faster than other corn types, an important attribute when making masa. To become masa, corn kernels go through a multistep process called nixtamalization, which includes soaking in hot, dilute lime solution to loosen the hull and partially gelatinize the outer part of the starchy endosperm.

The wet corn endosperm, or nixtamal, is ground, usually with a stone mill, into masa, which is Spanish for dough. The wet masa is sheeted and cut into the desired chip shape prior to partial baking and frying. For corn chips, wet masa is generally extruded into the desired shape and fried.

Some chip manufacturers buy masa flour instead of processing corn kernels, which simplifies the process. Masa flour is made by drying and grinding wet masa into a granular product. Flour manufacturers will adjust the grinding stones to produce masa flour with various degrees of fineness. Finer-particle masa flours absorb more water during dough mixing, and subsequently, the final product retains more moisture. Thus, manufacturers use finely ground masa for the flexible tortillas used to roll burritos, intermediate-particle-size grades for tortilla chips, and the coarsest grades of masa for corn chips.

In an efficient tortilla- and corn-chip operation, the amount of water removed during frying should be as small as possible. In addition, the amount of water added to make masa dough influences the absorption of oil by the chip. The lower the moisture content, the less water the frying oil needs to drive out, and thus, the less oil the chip absorbs. The moisture content of finished corn-based, tortilla-style chips is around 1.0%.

Dough moisture also affects workability and product texture. Most sheeter and extruder problems result from soft, sticky dough that will not release from the cutter roll. Or, due to the presence of corn pieces, the dough can plug up the extruder die.

“Modified starches can be added to improve masa-dough cohesion and to create a lighter bite in the finished chip,” says Sanjiv Avashia, food scientist, Tate & Lyle Food Ingredients (A.E. Staley), Decatur, IL. “Modified, waxy, pregelatinized starch and modified, pregel tapioca starch allow coarse corn-masa particles to bind together at a reduced moisture level while permitting them to sheet at a low thickness through traditional cracker sheeter rolls. Reduction in dough moisture translates to a reduction in fat absorption when the product is fried, which is an important consideration given consumers’ low-fat preferences.

“Starches also provide for expansion and lightness of texture with low-fat content,” Avashia adds. “Pregelatinized starches will impart moderate elasticity and improve pliability when the dough is sheeted, allowing for novel shapes to be formed prior to baking and frying. Maltodextrins also may be used to modify the texture of the finished product by creating a lighter, crispier texture without expansion and blister formation.”

David Huang, market development manager for cereal, snack and bakery, National Starch and Chemical Co., Bridgewater, NJ, explains: “To make thick tortilla chips that do not break easily when dipped into salsa or hearty dips, waxy-corn-based starch is added to the masa dough. Without the starch, the thicker chips would be too hard to eat. The starch makes the thicker chip crispy instead of hard.” Recent advancements in masa-flour processing include flours with improved color, flours that provide wider operational flexibility and flours that produce chips with greater resistance to breakage. Some suppliers offer identity-preserved masa flours that are guaranteed to be high quality and provide consistent performance.

Though corn is the most common grain in chip fabrication, rice and wheat are gaining popularity. Terra Harvest Foods Inc., Loves Park, IL, has identified a technology to turn rice into chips, both potato and tortilla-style. Baked not fried, Mr. Krispers™ Gourmet Rice Chips come in four flavors — Classic Barbecue, Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper, Cheddar Salsa and Sour Cream & Onion — and Mr. Krispers Rice Tortilla Chips, which were introduced in June, come in three flavors — Chili Lime, Sesame and Spicy Black Bean Salsa.

Frito-Lay Inc., Plano, TX, a division of PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, NY, uses a variety of grains to produce its very successful Sunchips® Multigrain snacks, which come in three flavors: French Onion, Harvest Cheddar® and Original.

Similar to tortillas, where masa-based sheeted dough is cut into individual chips, other grain-based products, such as bagels and pita bread, can be sectionalized and made into snack chips. These products tend to be baked, not fried, and provide snackers with a low-fat alternative.

Pita Products LLC, Farmington Hills, MI, markets Pita Snax® as a low-fat alternative to potato chips. Made from 100% pita bread, a 1-oz. serving contains 1 gram of fat, none of which is saturated. After a year and a half in the marketplace, the company reformulated Pita Snax, enhancing the flavors in response to consumer demand for more intensity. The company now adds seasonings to the pita dough itself, increasing the flavor on the inside while also intensifying the topical seasonings.

An interesting base material for chips is cheese. Specialty Cheese Co., Lowell, WI, uses a patent-pending, 17-step baking process to transform seasoned natural cheese into Just the Cheese™ snack chips. High in protein and calcium, and containing only 1 gram of carbohydrate per serving, these chips are salty and crunchy low-carbohydrate snack chips.

Fabricated chips are made by forming a dough that gets sheeted, cut into shapes, and either fried, baked, or partially baked and then fried. “Sheeting technology allows chip manufacturers to add colors and flavors to the dough and develop snacks with unique flavors, textures and appearances,” says Avashia.

Dale Bertrand, manager of research and commercialization, AVEBE America Inc., Princeton, NJ, adds, “Starches are important components in fabricated chips because they help improve various dough properties.”

For example, “Potato-crisp dough, which is primarily formulated with potato flakes and granules, requires a higher level of moisture to form a cohesive dough due to the high water-absorption capacity of the partially gelatinized potato starch found in flakes and granules,” says Avashia. “The addition of modified starches or maltodextrins can improve machinability and finished-product eating qualities.

“Potato-based products often have a coarse appearance and a hard bite as it can be difficult to form a thin dough sheet,” Avashia adds. “Pregelatinized starches hydrate quickly to provide increased dough cohesion, allowing for the dough to be sheeted thinly and further processed without tearing.” The company offers pregelatinized waxy starches that promote the development of an internal matrix leading to a uniform network of air cells during baking or frying. The starches also increase the amylopectin content of the product, creating a lighter bite.

“Maltodextrins and corn-syrup solids can be used to lower the amount of water needed in the dough and to alter the appearance and texture of the finished crisps,” says Avashia. “Low-DE maltodextrins can significantly reduce the amount of water necessary to form a cohesive dough. Reduction in dough moisture translates to a reduction in fat absorption when the product is fried. Corn-syrup solids provide a low amount of sweetness to balance the potato-crisp flavor profile and provide reducing sugars to promote browning.”

Starches also influence finished-product characteristics. “Proper selection of the type of starch can give the desired surface characteristic to the chip, from small, uniform bubbles to large irregular blisters,” says Bertrand. “The right starch will also strengthen the final product, which helps reduce breakage, a common complaint in the chip industry. The trick is to select a starch that gives this strength without the end product becoming too hard or chewy.”

AVEBE sells a range of specialty starches that offer chip manufacturers the ability to alter texture — light and crisp, short and crisp, or hard — as well as to improve dough handling through choice of the correct pregelatinized starch, Bertrand says. For example, he notes that “for great expansion and improved dough handling, SnackTex W500 native cold-water-swelling, waxy-maize starch works just fine and gives a light crispy bite.”

Potato starches incorporate well into potato-based snacks and offer a range of functionalities as well. One instant potato starch “provides a uniformly small blistered surface and gives a slightly harder, more crunchy texture, making chips more stable against breakage during packaging and transport,” Bertrand says. “Use of the cook-up potato starches mitigates the seasonal variability that can be associated with use of flakes and granules, and helps control pore size of the air pockets, or bubbles, in the chip, thus contributing to an even, smooth surface.”

Potato-based fabricated chips can include other vegetables too. Snyder’s of Hanover, Hanover, PA, manufactures Veggie Crisps, fabricated crinkle-cut potato-based chips that are either plain, or include tomato or spinach.

Another type of fabricated chip is crispy flatbread, which was first produced by twin-screw extrusion in the early 1970s. Wheat flour, the primary ingredient, is often blended with rice, corn or other grains. Other ingredients, including sugar, salt, milk powder and oil, offer specific functional properties.

“Crispy flatbreads are typically square or rectangular, but offer a wide range of possible dimensions,” says Gilles Maller, vice president, extrusion, Clextral Inc., Tampa, FL. “They have a smooth surface appearance due to the regular expansion, and the color is usually a light or golden brown. The flavor is generally neutral and roasted, and they have a distinctive crispy texture due to the highly aerated cellular structure.”

Manufacturers blend and then feed dry ingredients into an intermeshing, co-rotating, twin-screw extruder, where piston pumps meter liquid additives, such as water and oil. All along the assembly, mechanical and thermal energies cook the product. As processing nears completion, the dough enters the die, which simultaneously textures and forms the product. As the product exits the die, its moisture turns to steam and flashes off, forming the structure that influences the texture. Upon exit from the extruder, the malleable bands of product are laminated and precut to create the desired profile of the flatbread product. The bands then enter an oven, which reduces moisture content and browns the surface. Product cools, and then a brush system cuts and separates the bands into individual slices.

“New products, such as filled crispy flatbreads, give this snack an added twist,” adds Maller. “These flatbreads combine two textures — a crispy outer shell surrounding a soft filling, such as nacho cheese or bacon and Cheddar.” The low-moisture filling consists of a matrix that is predominantly fat. It provides the predominant flavor to the product, complemented by the roasted taste of the biscuit. The shell has the same textural characteristics as crispy flatbread.

“The processing line is similar to a crispy-flatbread production line,” says Maller. “In fact, we can produce the filled product on the same production equipment as crispy flatbread with only some minor adjustments, including the use of a special die to concurrently form, texture and fill the product.”

Chips contain approximately 1% to 2% salt, either alone or with other seasonings. While plain salted potato chips continue to be the No. 1-selling potato-chip variety, followed by barbecue with its many variations (i.e., mesquite, hickory smoke, bold and tangy, etc.), and then sour cream and onion, new flavors are continuously entering the marketplace.

In its “Lay’s® Tastes of America” promotion, Frito-Lay asks American consumers to determine the next wave of potato-chip flavors. The current flavors, chosen from the first round, are Monterey Pepper Jack, which is mild white cheese with spicy pepper accents, and Chicago Steakhouse Loaded Baked Potato, which is a taste of traditional baked-potato ingredients — butter, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, bacon bits and chives. Only two of the three flavor finalists for the next round will become reality. The contenders are: Santa Fe Ranch (ranch flavor with a kick of chile, red pepper and cumin), Louisiana Cajun Spice (three kinds of pepper, oregano, garlic and onion) and Carolina BBQ (hickory-smoked flavors with vinegar and a splash of mustard).

A year ago, Frito-Lay launched a line of salty snacks specifically for the U.S. Hispanic population. The company conducted extensive consumer testing in four key markets (Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Houston, TX) to determine the snack flavors and textures with the strongest appeal among Hispanics. The research indicated that the preferred flavors were chile, citrus and cheese. The company then teamed up with its Mexico-based sister company, Sabritas, to select top-selling brands that are familiar to Mexican-Americans and Latinos. The resulting product line includes chips such as Sabritas Adobadas™ Tomato and Chile Potato Chips, Churrumais® Fried Corn Strips with Chile and Lime Seasonings, and Doritos Salsa Verde Tortilla Chips.

Chip seasonings typically consist of particulate mixtures of spices, flavors and spray-dried dairy ingredients including cheese, lactose and whey. “Maltodextrins and corn-syrup solids are also commonly used in dry seasoning blends as bulking agents for dispersing intense flavors,” says Avashia. “In addition, corn-syrup solids improve adhesion of seasoning particles and contribute a mild sweetness.”

The final chip contains 5% to 10% seasoning, which is typically applied mechanically The most common mechanical seasoning-application system utilizes a slow, rotating cylindrical drum to gently tumble the chips while a spray bar or tube dispenses seasonings, oils and other toppings. Chips enter the drum at one end and gradually tumble their way to the other end. Some systems use electrostatic means to control the movement of toppings through the bar, while others employ augers and recirculating pumps.

A fairly new, modified form of the cylindrical drum makes up part of the system called the two-stage coating method. It allows processors to apply tack agents based on starches or food gums, as well as conventional spray oils. In this system, chips enter the drum, which is pitched at a slight angle. The tack agent is applied in the first half of the drum and the seasonings are dispensed in the second half.

Manufacturers have traditionally used oil, either adsorbed on the surface of the chip or added during seasoning application, to adhere seasoning to chips. However, with low- and no-fat chips, oil is not an option; instead, gum- or starch-based solutions adhere the seasonings.

“N-TACK™ starch-based coating system exhibits a high degree of tackiness and can replace fat or oil when applying seasoning to chips,” says Huang. “It is available as a powder and easily dissolves in water or can be mixed with glycerin and water. It is used in solution and sprayed onto chips to adhere seasonings.” One of the starch’s advantages is that it can be applied hot or cold, and it is very effective at low usage levels and doesn’t mask applied flavors, he says.

A new ingredient from National Starch provides snack-chip manufacturers with an alternative to traditional liquid or oil coatings and gives food product designers “greater latitude in formulating low-fat, more-flavorful snacks that support the active and health-conscious lifestyles of consumers, says Neil Grimwood, senior divisional vice president for food ingredients at National Starch. “DRY-TACK 250 binder is a fine-grained dry powder. It is designed to rapidly melt directly onto the chip surface with strong adhesive properties, which result in a high level of retention and reduced loss of seasoning.”

Because the application process uses no liquid, it eliminates sogginess and flavor changes. The binder also reduces messiness and waste on the production line because moist binder doesn’t build up on belts or conveyors, and the binder powder and seasoning blend can be recycled and reapplied. Also, the oil-free coating does not increase the snack’s fat content.

“Heat applied in the range of 250° to 450°F sufficiently melts the blend to begin the joining of the seasoning to the snack. In fact, snack foods exiting an oven often retain sufficient heat to melt the binder,” adds Grimwood. “Processing time is reduced from 2 to 5 minutes to 20 to 90 seconds, which results in greater flavor retention. In addition, tests show that the shorter processing period produces stronger bonds, reducing the amount of seasoning that flakes off the food surface.”

Until fairly recently, seasoning and coating-system choices for manufacturers of organic chips were quite limited. However, “The organic-chip market is growing at a rate of 15% to 20% annually, and this is because the products are finally starting to taste like mainline products,” says Bill Fenske, vice president of technical services, Sunrich Food Group Inc., Hope, MN. “Consumers who choose an organic lifestyle no longer have to give up flavor.

“We’ve partnered with a Wisconsin cheesemaker to produce a cheese that we further treat with enzymes to produce a variety of spray-dried cheese flavors,” Fenske continues. “The enzymes used for the flavor modification process are from non-GMO sources. We also produce organic sweet-whey powder.”

Doug Fenske, Sunrich senior product and process consultant, adds, “We have also developed a variety of savory and non-dairy seasonings, including spray-dried vinegar and soy sauce, as well as different spice blends.”

Apparently chip manufacturers are embracing high-quality, organic seasonings, as new product introductions to this category have been overwhelming. Earlier this year, Kettle Foods, Salem, OR, extended its organic-potato-chip line with gourmet flavors such as Chipotle Chile Barbecue and Sweet Summer Herb.

And snack-food giant Frito-Lay has taken note. “We are seeing a growing consumer demand for organic-snack choices,” says Tracy LaRosiliere, vice president of marketing at the company. As a result, in April, Frito-Lay launched its new Natural Snacks line, including Tostitos® Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and Lay’s Natural Country BBQ Potato Chips. The line launch followed Frito-Lay’s reformulation of its core snack brands, replacing hydrogenated oils with trans-fatty-acid-free oils.

What are trans fatty acids and why get rid of them in foods? Trans fatty acids are associated with increasing total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood. They form when an unsaturated fat is hydrogenated to improve stability. Most naturally occurring, unsaturated fatty acids are in the cis isomer form, where the hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond. Hydrogen atoms on opposite sides create the less-healthful trans isomer position.

Many chips are fried in partially hydrogenated oils for stability to oxidation and to maintain flavor, and therefore, the presence of trans fatty acids is a concern for the snack-food industry. FDA plans to require food manufacturers to quantify trans-fatty-acid content on a separate line on food labels. As a result, many food manufacturers are reformulating products, replacing trans-containing fats with better-for-you fats.

“In response to this need, we’ve developed the ‘Zero/Low Trans Alternative Portfolio’ of shortenings and oils,” says Michael Rath, senior marketing manager for ADM Specialty Fats and Oils, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Decatur, IL. “ADM’s global and lipid chemists have developed this portfolio based upon new-technology assessment and enhanced processing techniques to provide customers with a trans- fat alternative . The goal is to eliminate trans fatty acids, while minimizing saturated fatty acids. The portfolio includes enzyme-interesterified shortenings and margarines, modified oils such as NuSun™ sunflower oil, tropical oils and tailor-made blended oils. The alternative oil selected is determined by desired functionality in the chips and ingredient-panel requirements.”

Trans-fats issues may take a back seat if scientists find that acrylamide, a chemical known to be carcinogenic in animals, is present in large-enough quantities in fried and baked foods to pose a risk to humans.

Acrylamide surfaced in the news a little more than a year ago when researchers from the Swedish National Food Administration and Stockholm University reported that they found acrylamide in a variety of fried and oven-baked foods. Since the initial findings, researchers have found that acrylamide develops during the early stages of the Maillard reaction, when certain amino acids, including asparagine, react with reducing sugars, producing desirable flavors and colors. The reaction appears to be promoted by high temperatures and increases with the time of heating. The big unknown right now is what constitutes a safe or acceptable level of acrylamide in humans.

As of now, researchers have found no evidence to raise concerns; however, regulatory and watchdog groups are monitoring the situation. For example, in early June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Washington, D.C., petitioned FDA to set temporary acrylamide limits for foods known to contain high amounts until the risk issue is settled. The group’s executive director, Michael Jacobsen, said in the petition that German authorities are already urging companies to stop marketing foods with high acrylamide content.

CSPI is urging Americans to eat less of the “non-nutritious” foods that have been found to contain high acrylamide levels, such as potato chips, french fries, baked goods, pastries and coffee. According to FDA data cited by CSPI, Pringles BBQ Sweet Mesquite Flavored Potato Crisps contain 2,510 ppb of acrylamide per serving, compared to an average slice of untoasted bread, which contains about 100 ppb. As the nation continues to focus on health and wellness, chips are sure to come under scrutiny. Some consumers might diminish their chip-eating, whereas others may become fans as a result of trendy new flavors and forms. One thing is for sure: This 150-year-old legend is here to stay.

Donna Berry, president of Chicago-based Dairy & Food Communications, Inc., a network of professionals in business-to-business technical and trade communications, has been writing about product development and marketing for nine years. Prior to that, she worked for Kraft Foods in the natural-cheese division. She has a B.S. in food science from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She can be reached at [email protected].

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