Effects of amino acids and glucose on the fry colour of potato crisps

Summary Amino acids and sugars were removed from slices of potato of the cultivar Record. The slices were then soaked in solutions of the amino acids and various concentrations of glucose to study their effect on the fry colour of crisps. Glutamine was an important amino acid in the development of fry colour intensity at low glucose concentrations and also contributed to the dark fry colour when combined with glucose concentrations above 0.15%. The basic amino acid arginine had a similar but lesser effect and other amino acids used gave the same effect at glucose concentrations above 0.45%. Asparagine could play an important role in the development of fry colour quality and may decrease the grey colour intensity developed by the mixture of amino acids.