THERMAL AND PHYSICAL-PROPERTIES OF TORTILLA CHIPS AS A FUNCTION OF FRYING TIME

The objective of this study was to determine the thermal conductivity, specific heat, density (true and bulk), and the texture characteristi cs of tortilla chips and to study the effects of moisture content, oil content, and frying time on these properties. Tortilla chips were fri ed in fresh soybean oil for different times at 190C. Results shelved t hat the values of thermal conductivity of tortilla chips decreased fro m 0.23 to 0.09 W/mC, specific heat from 3.36 to 2.31 kJ/kgC, and bulk density from 880 to 579 kg/m(3) as frying time increased. In general, the crispness of tortilla chips increased as frying time increased.