Effect of Ultrasonic Waves and Other Technological Treatments on the Reduction of Acrylamide and Glycoalkaloids in Frozen Prefried Potatoes.

The formation of toxic compounds in fried potato products is a major food safety concern due to their potential adverse effects on human health. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of processing and frying conditions on the contents of acrylamide (AC) and glycoalkaloids in three Peruvian potato varieties (Bicentenaria, CIP-Poderosa Pollera, and Única). Samples were subjected to ultrasound pretreatment, variations in precooking and prefrying parameters, and three frying methods: deep-frying (DF), oven-frying (OF), and air-frying (AF). A Taguchi design was applied to analyze color variation (ΔE), and a response surface methodology was used to optimize the processing parameters. The optimized treatment (OT1) corresponded to the Bicentenaria variety fried using the DF method (180°C, 6 min), with an ultrasonic amplitude of 28.93% of the maximum output of the 500 W system and prefrying at 77.10°C. This treatment achieved the highest desirability (0.88), low AC (19 µg/kg) and glycoalkaloid (6.97 mg/kg) contents, adequate hardness (7.50 N), and good color quality (ΔE = 14.83). Understanding optimal processing conditions and mitigation strategies is essential to produce safer potato products. The findings demonstrate that safe French fries can be obtained from local potato varieties such as Bicentenaria, representing a sustainable alternative to imported potatoes in the domestic industry.