Potential Food Safety Concerns in Fried Potato Products in Kenya - Open Access Library Journal

OALibJ > Vol.2 No.5, May 2015

Potential Food Safety Concerns in Fried Potato Products in Kenya ()

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DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1101522 3,487 Downloads 5,900 Views Citations

Author(s)

George O. Abong^1*, Jackson N. Kabira²

Affiliation(s)

¹Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi (Kangemi), Kenya.
²National Potato Research Centre (KARI), Tigoni, Limuru, Kenya.

ABSTRACT

Fried potato products, mainly French fries and potato crisps, are consumed across all age groups and socio-economic status. These products are sources of energy and provide between-the-meal snacks for many consumers all over the world, Kenya included. There exist different food preparation set-ups that process these products under different conditions while using a variety of additives. A number of safety issues have, however, risen in the past that can be linked to glycoalkaloids in raw potatoes used during processing. Quality and content of oil used for frying are increasingly being blamed for obesity and heart diseases in the changing lifestyles currently witnessed in Kenya. Presence of acrylamide, excessive use of flavor enhancers, colorants and food additives in general have been suggested as possible contributors to increasing cases of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Increased consumption of these products can as well lead to higher exposure of the population to possible carcinogens such as acrylamide and packaging migrants. This review analyzes the potential hazards in French fries and potato crisps processing chains taking into account the Kenyan context. The possible impact of these hazards to the general consumer is also discussed and potential areas of research and evaluation are indicated.

KEYWORDS

Fried Potato, Toxicity, Glycoalkaloids, Additives, Acrylamide, Oxidation Products

Share and Cite:

Abong, G. and Kabira, J. (2015) Potential Food Safety Concerns in Fried Potato Products in Kenya. Open Access Library Journal, 2, 1-11. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1101522.

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