Potential Food Safety Concerns in Fried Potato Products in 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

Possibility of Incorporating Potato Flour into Three Traditional Kenyan Foods

Potato flour was blended with commercial, sifted maize meal at 10, 20, 30 and 40% levels of substitution based on flour weight, and used to prepare ugali (stiff porridge) and uji (thin porridge). Also, potato flour equivalent to 30, 40 and 50% of fresh potatoes by weight was used in the preparation of irio (a mashed mixture of cooked whole maize grains, beans, potatoes and vegetables). Potato flour could be incorporated to replace up to 40% of the maize meal in ugali and uji, and up to 50% of fresh potatoes in irio, without undesirable alteration in their physico-chemical and sensory characteristics