Nutritional characteristics and sensory acceptability of reduced-fat french fries

The Brazilian food industry and government reached a consensus on progressively reducing the content of industrial trans fatty acids (TFA) in food products due to its health effects. French fries are popular among young people and this study evaluates four brands of frozen pre-fried French fries marketed in Brazil and four brands of French fries from the main fast-food chains in Brazil regarding their fatty acid profile and total fat content. The total fat content of fast-food chain French fries was 14-21g/100 g, with a total TFA content of 0.01-0.14 g/100 g. In turn, the total fat content of frozen pre-fried French fries ranged from 3.3 to 7.4 g/100 g, with a total TFA content of 0.01-0.03 g/100 g. Deep fat frying of these products did not include partially hydrogenated fat. Two most sold pre-fried French fries brands available in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil were selected and evaluated using air frying cooking method regarding sensory acceptance. Mean acceptance among consumers was 5.7 and 5.1 for brands A and B, respectively. Brand A was further evaluated by children and young people, with mean acceptance of 4.48 and 7.2, respectively, showing good acceptance for pre-fried French fries with reduced fat content.