The study examines how various cooking techniques (boiling and steaming) and drying processes (oven, solar, and fan‐assisted room drying (FARD)) affect the quality attributes of instant mashed potato flakes (IMPFs). The product was analyzed for its proximate composition, physical properties, and functional properties. The results demonstrated that the moisture content was the only proximate composition significantly affected by the cooking methods, drying techniques, or their interaction. Moisture was notably higher in samples subjected to forced FARD (8.79%) and lowest in oven‐dried samples (7.65%). Vitamin C retention was maximized by steaming and FARD, with FARD‐dried samples retaining up to 4.55 mg/100 g compared with 3.59 mg/100 g in oven‐dried flakes. Drying method significantly influenced flake lightness ( L ∗ ) and particle size distribution, where oven drying produced the darkest and finest granules. Functional properties were similarly affected by drying technology: Oven‐dried flakes exhibited the highest water absorption index (WAI), whereas solar‐dried flakes showed the greatest oil absorption capacity (OAC). Overall, the results demonstrate that cooking method primarily governs nutritional retention, while drying technology is the dominant factor shaping the physical and functional attributes of IMPFs. Accordingly, this study provides evidence‐based insights to support the targeted optimization of nutritional and functional qualities in potato flake production.
Bimrew et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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