Abstract

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used in fluorescence mode for oil and cell wall detection, and in reflective mode to observe the surface morphology of potato chips. Oil distribution in chips fried at 170 °C in oil mixed with the thermoresistant probe Nile Red was studied as the crust developed during frying. Oil was trapped only in intercellular spaces for short frying times while at longer times it was strongly linked to the developed crust microstructure (not only in intercellular spaces but also over some cells) and not easily extractable by hexane washing. Chips infiltrated with a solution of the dye Congo Red (CR) before frying revealed drastic changes in cell walls but no signs of rupture during frying at the magnification used in this research (20X). Topographical data acquired by CLSM in reflective mode confirmed that several cells are broken during the cutting operation. Image representation of the reconstructed surface of a fried chip (170 °C, 3 min) allowed observe oil location in potato surface after frying.