Victor Christian Kaharso, Andre Kurniawan Kuswandi, Anita Maya Sutedja, Chatarina Yayuk Trisnawati, Theresia Endang Widoeri Widyastuti, Virly
In Indonesia, cassava roots rank as the third most consumed staple food and are often processed into fried cassava sticks. However, frying increases fat content, posing health concerns. Hydrocolloid coatings, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and xanthan gum, offer a promising strategy to reduce oil absorption during frying. While many studies have examined these coatings individually, limited research has addressed the combined influence of hydrocolloid type and concentration. This study assessed the effects of hydrocolloid concentration nested within hydrocolloid types on cassava stick characteristics. To ensure coating consistency, the effects of immersion time, stick dimension, and frying temperature on moisture content and oil absorption were also analyzed. Immersion time significantly influenced both parameters, with 10-minute immersion yielding optimal moisture retention and reduced oil absorption. In contrast, stick dimension and frying temperature had no significant effect (P > 0.05). Hydrocolloid type significantly affected most parameters, except pre-fried moisture (P = 0.138) and colour (P ≥ 0.132), while concentration significantly influenced all parameters except redness in fried samples (P = 0.999). High statistical power (≥ 0.800) was observed for fried moisture content, oil absorption, crude fat content, and hardness. Xanthan gum was more effective than HPMC in retaining moisture (37.92% vs. 36.71%), reducing oil absorption (26.92% vs. 28.76%), and producing softer texture (0.99 kg vs. 1.10 kg). Increasing hydrocolloid concentration reduced lightness and yellowness but had minimal impact on redness. These findings support the use of hydrocolloid coatings to develop healthier fried cassava products with optimized texture, reduced fat content, and improved quality through controlled processing variables. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Dinoyo 42-44, East Java, Surabaya, 60265, Indonesia; Food and Nutrition Research Center, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Global Health Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan