Development of ready-to-fry frozen vegetable snack and its quality evaluation

A formulation for the development of a crispy texture of crust in vegetable snack after freezing and frying was standardized using different flours such as whole-wheat flour (WWF), refined wheat flour (RWF), rice flour (RF) and semolina (S). Formulation with 60% WWF, 20% RWF, 10% RF and 10% S was selected based on sensory characteristics (overall acceptability >7.8). Incorporation of RF significantly (P < 0.05) changed the texture of the raw snack as indicated by texture profile analysis. Higher levels of rice flour resulted in whitish color in raw as well as fried snacks. However, the cooking time was more in the snacks fried directly from the frozen state (6.18 min) than the frozen-thawed fried snack (4.35 min). Quality of the snacks in terms of color values, appearance and texture was found to be superior to the thawed fried snack. During frozen storage of 16 months at -20 ± 1 °C, the overall acceptability (OAA) and lightness was found to be decreased from the original value. Rancidity parameters in terms of free fatty acids, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid showed a restricted rise with the progression of storage period. The developed frozen snack was found to be microbiologically safe during the storage period.