Preparation, Evaluation and Analysis of a French‐Fry‐Type Product from Sweet Potatoes

A French‐fry‐type product was prepared from ‘Jewel’ and ‘Centennial’ sweet potatoes. Samples were prepared from freshly harvested, cured, and stored, cured roots. The roots were peeled, sliced into strips and blanched in hot water. The blanched strips were partially dehydrated by one of five treatments and then frozen at −30°C. Frozen strips were fried in hot peanut oil and evaluated by a sensory panel. Strips prepared by dehydration in a hot air tunnel at 120°C for 5 min were favored by the sensory panel. Blanching removed significant amounts of dry matter and resulted in partial hydrolysis of the starch by endogenous enzymes. Sensory color scores were not affected by reducing sugar content. Sensory flavor scores were related to total sugar content.