SOP OF POTATO STICKS

Goodrich, 
Opposite Hotel Deventure, 
2  Floor, Bank of Baroda Building, 
nd

Namastey Chowk, KARNAL - 132 001 

Haryana, India

FTI FOOD TECH PVT.LTD

195, ASCO Capital, Scheme No part-II Near Daisy Dales School,

Indore – 452010 (M.P.) India .Tel. : + 91-731-4045681
E-Mail: contact@foodtechinc.com Website: www.foodtechinc.com

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 Contents

GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

 Establishment & Structure

 Equipment
 Raw, finished and packaging material
 Cleaning, sanitation, housekeeping
 Personnel practices

Quality Assurance
 Reasons for a Quality Assurance Programm
 Basic Responsibilities of Quality Assurance
 Online Inspection and Control of –

 Raw Material
 Quality
 Specification

 Packing Material

 Quality

 Specifications

 Finished Product

 Specification

 PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR POTATO STICKS

 PROCESS VARIABLES AND STANDARDIZATION

 Feeding Potatoes
 Destoning
 Continuous Peeling / Batch Peeling
 Inspection
 Feeding Cutter

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  Cutter
 Sticks Waster
 Feeding to Fryer through Belt
 Frying System
 Inspection Belt
 Seasoning Applicator & Seasoning Drum
 Cooling / Feeding
 Packaging

 TEST PROCEDURES

- Moisture Content

- Free Fatty Acids

- Peroxide Value

- Sodium Chloride

- Crude Fat or Ether Extractives

- Packaging Material Testing

 IMPORTANT TABLES

 SELECTION OF CHIPPING POTATOES

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 Manufacturing Practices

GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

"Good manufacturing practice" or "GMP" refers to the quality control of manufacturing for foods products and

equipment. GMPs are the guidelines that outline the aspects of production that would affect the quality of a
product.

Good manufacturing practices are also termed as Pre-Requisite Programmes (PRP). These are the basic conditions
and activities that are necessary to maintain hygienic environment throughout the food chain to produce the safe
food fit for human consumption by working on al aspects which are:

Establishment and Structure

1.

No. Subject Standard practice

1.1 Protection, gates, access Entrances should be defined and controlled to prevent
control unauthorized or undetected entry. Visitors should sign a
log book and follow the policies defined.

1.2 Courtyard, exterior grounds Area surrounding the building should be clear of debris,
properly lighted and adequately drained.

1.3 Emissions from outside The facility should be located in an area that should be free
sources from foul or noxious odour, smoke, dust or other
contaminant.

1.4 Liquid waste disposal Drainage and sewage disposal should be adequate. Drains
should be covered.

1.5 Solid waste disposal Solid waste collection area should be isolated from
processing and storage areas.

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1.6 Building construction Floor-walls junction and angles in factory building should be
curved. Any cracks or holes should be filled to prevent pest
entry. Caulking should be in good condition and not loose.

1.7 Ambient and storage areas Adequate lighting should be installed away from product
zones. Racks and shelving should be solidly built with
adequate space for access.

1.8 Testing Laboratory Adequate testing facilities and equipment should be

available for physical, chemical and microbiological
analysis.

1.9 Microbiological laboratory Microbiological testing should be performed in a dedicated

room, separate from any food processing with controlled
access and independent air supply.

1.10 Separation of raw from Finished product should be segregated from raw processing
finished operations areas to prevent potential contamination.

1.11 Walls, floors, ceilings Walls, floors and ceilings in processing area should be clean
and free of flaking or peeling paint. Floors do not have
cracks. Grout and caulking should be good and not loose.

1.12 Lighting protection Light fixtures in production areas should be shielded.

1.13 Ventilation, air conditioning Air intakes should be filtered. There should be a program
to change filters as needed.

1.14 Doors and window screens Doors remain closed if not in use. Windows should be
screened and cannot be opened.

1.15 Wet cleaning There should be an adequate supply of hot and cold
potable water to clean the utensils and equipment’s.

1.16 Hand washing facilities Hand washing facilities should be conveniently located near
entrance to processing areas. There should be adequate
water, soap and hand-drying facilities.

1.17 Change rooms Change rooms should be segregated from processing and
storage areas and should be clean and organized.

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1.18 Toilet facilities Toilet facilities should be adequate in size and should be
located near but separate from processing areas. The
facilities should be maintained clean. The facilities should
be adequately ventilated.

1.2 Hand washing in toilet Hand washing facilities should be adequate for the
facilities and locker rooms population. There should be adequate water, soap and
hand-drying facilities. Hand wash instructions should be
posted in an obvious location.

1.21 Cabinets / lockers Lockers should be provided for employees to store work
clothes separate from regular clothes. Lockers adequate in
size.

1.22 Lunch Room A room isolated from processing and storage areas should
be provided for employees to eat, drink and take their
breaks. The area provides adequate seating for workers.

1.23 First aid facilities First aid facilities should be provided and separate from
processing or storage areas. Adequate supplies should be
available. Drugs and antiseptics should be properly stored
and secured. Adequate first aid training should be
imparted to factory staff.

 1.24 Statutory and Regulatory Company has obtained Factory License, License from
requirements Pollution Control Board and License from Municipal
corporation to work a factory.

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2 Equipment

2.1 Design of equipment: suitability Equipment’s should be suitable for the application and free from
for application poor design or misuse of equipment that risks product damage or
contamination.

2.2 Design of equipment: Prevention Equipment should be designed to minimize the risk of product
of contamination by foreign contamination due to normal equipment wear, lubrication, loose parts,
material condensation, etc.

2.3 Piping, valves and couplings Couplings, valves and pumps should be of appropriate design for
purpose.

2.4 Silo and tank inlets Silo and tank inlets should be capped, labeled, cleanable, and accessible
for inspections, protected from rain and locked to prevent tampering if
external to building.

2.7 Adequate racking, storage There should be racks to place machine parts during disassembly or
storage.

2.8 Compressed air supply Compressed air supply should be clean, with water and oil removal
filters before sensitive equipment.

2.9 Conveyors / transporting belts Product contact conveyors should be kept clean, smooth and in good
condition, without frayed edges. There should be no mechanisms above
a conveying system.

2.10 Receptacles, containers (buckets) Receptacles must be color coded to indicate intended use, or clearly
labeled. Receptacles must be cleanable and capable of being covered.

2.11 Forklift Forklift used inside the factory should be not used outside.

2.12 Pallets (plastic / wooden) Pallets in processing area should be clean and in good condition. Dirty
or broken pallets should be replaced with sound pallets.

2.13 Preventative maintenance Equipment maintenance should be performed on a scheduled basis

following defined procedures and equipment specifications.
Documentation demonstrates correct implementation.

2.14 Pump seals Food material pump seals should be checked on a routine schedule and
replaced when damaged.

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2.15 Lubrication Only food grade lubricants should be used in the unit where product
may come in contact with them.

2.16 Maintenance practices Tools used on food handling equipment should be clean and regularly
sanitized. Maintenance staff keeps tight control over loose parts and
clean up work area when finished.

2.18 Unused equipment No unused equipment should be stored in processing area. Unused
equipments should be stored in utilities area and should be cleaned
periodically to prevent infestation.

3 Raw, semi-finished, finished and packaging materials

No. Subject Standard practice

3.1 Identification of materials All materials can be identified uniquely and clearly through a labeling
system tagged on each pallet of storage or through a color-coded
container that should be identified in a color-coding program. All tags
and labels should be in conformity with the process register.

3.2 Inspection of incoming shipments A program should be in place to inspect incoming shipments for
cleanliness, suitability, absence of pest and its conformity with the
product specifications.

3.3 Perimeters in storage areas A 18 inch (45cm) clear and clean perimeter around stored materials
should be maintained.

3.4 Inventory control system FIFO usage of materials should be practiced. There should be a system
for identifying, segregation and/or disposal of obsolete materials.

3.5 Hold/Release Program A hold/release program prevents rejected or unapproved materials from
being used through clearly identifying the material by covering it with
coloured net.

3.6 Prevention of cross-contact in Microbiological cross-contact of materials should be prevented by

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 storage areas segregation in storage.

3.7 Separate storage of food from Food materials (raw and finished) should be stored so as not to come
non-food materials into contact with non-food materials.

3.9 Protection of materials in storage Materials in storage must be protected from degradation due to
exposure to direct sunlight and from pests and rodents. No raw
material and packaging material should be stored in processing area.

4 Cleaning / Sanitation / Housekeeping

No. Subject Standard practice

4.1 Master cleaning schedule A master cleaning schedule should be maintained and used to
control all cleaning activities.

4.2 Cleaning/sanitizing procedures Cleaning and sanitizing procedures should be written for specific
equipment with detailed instructions on how to clean, tools to
use, cleaning and sanitizing agents to use, and finished expected
condition.

4.3 General housekeeping Cleaning must be adequate to eliminate or minimize the risk of
product contamination.

4.4 Verification of cleaning Periodic tests of food contact surfaces using swabs to verify
performance adequacy of cleaning should be performed and documented prior
to start production.

4.5 Prevention of contamination from Handling, application, concentration, rinsing, etc. of cleaning and
cleaning/sanitizing agents sanitizing compounds must be controlled so that food materials
should be not contaminated.

4.6 Use of approved cleaning and cleaning agents and sanitizers used should be appropriate for use
sanitizing agents in a food plant

4.7 Use of correct concentrations Cleaning and sanitizing compounds should be used at the proper,
designed concentration.

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4.8 Drain cleaning Drains in the facility should be cleaned periodically to keep them
clear, free of food materials and free of insect infestation.
Fumigation at regular intervals might be necessary.

4.9 Separate Storage Cleaning and sanitizing compounds should be stored in a separate
room, isolated from food and packaging materials.

4.10 Color coding of cleaning Cleaning tools should be color coded to prevent cross
equipment and tools contamination.

4.11 Condition of cleaning equipment Cleaning equipments should be maintained in proper condition.

4.12 Availability of cleaning equipment Proper cleaning tools must be available to sanitation workers to
perform their jobs.

4.13 Rest rooms / lunch and Rest rooms / lunch and employees' area should be maintained
employees' area clean.

4.14 Ventilation equipment (Exhaust Ventilation equipments should be maintained clean and in good
Fans and Air Filters) working order.

4.15 Adequate sanitation personnel Adequate resources should be provided for cleaning (people,
time and equipment).

4.16 Training in cleaning / sanitation / Personnel who perform cleaning and sanitizing operations must
housekeeping be trained in how to perform their job.

4.17 Idle equipment Idle equipment stored in or near processing areas must be kept
clean and free of infestation.

4.18 Management of outside (cleaning) Outside contractors that perform cleaning in premises should
contractors have a clear list of expectations and specifications and should be
adequately supervised.

5 Personnel practices  

No. Subject Standard practice

5.1. Infectious disease Personnel should be trained to recognize infectious diseases and
sick people should be not permitted in work area where they
come in contact with food material.

5.2 Clothing Clean clothing should be provided in sufficient quantity. Work

clothing must not be worn outside food handling areas and
associated sanitary facilities.

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5.3 Shoes / Footwear Only designated foot wears should be allowed in processing area.
Footwear used in processing area must not be used outside
processing area.

5.4 Hair restraints Hair nets / caps should be worn by all workers to cover facial and
head hair. They should be mandatory for processing area.

5.5 Gloves Clean and sanitary gloves must be worn by workers in direct
contact with ready to eat foods (according to local legal
requirements and/or plant specific policy).

5.6 Jewellery / nail polish / false Jewellery should not be permitted in the production area.
fingernails / false eyelashes /
piercing

5.7 Hand washing practices Personnel must wash their hands after using the toilet. Personnel
working in production areas should be instructed to wash their
hands immediately prior to starting work, re-starting after breaks,
and whenever necessary during work.

5.8 Eating, drinking, tobacco use or Personnel must not smoke, use tobacco products, eat food or
chewing gum chew gum should be prohibited in factory premises. Eating and
drinking should be allowed in dedicated areas only using
unbreakable, dedicated containers.

5.9 Personnel practices Employees working a food processing area should not spit or
practice other foul personal habits in factory premises.

5.10 Medications, drugs Medications, drugs should be not to be present in the food
processing areas. They must be kept in a locker and administered
only in employee rest room or lunch areas.

5.11 Loose items Loose items such as pens, pencils, combs, glasses, thermometers,
calculators, etc. should not be carried in a pocket above waist
level. Employee uniforms do not have pockets above waist level.

5.12 Personal hygiene training The facility must have an on-going educational training program
covering personal hygiene and practices.

5.13 Personnel movements A program should be in place to regulate personnel movement

from food to non-food areas, from raw to finished product areas,
for forklifts, racks, etc. In certain sensitive areas, clear instructions
about traffic ways and restrictions must be applied, including
adequate changing rooms, and color coded overalls.

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 5.14 Visitors/Contractors A program should be in place to monitor contractors to assure
compliance with personnel practices. Such persons have to be
adequately instructed as to their obligations to comply with the
hygienic practices in the plant. Where appropriate, they have to
wear protective clothing and headgear.

Every person should observe necessary precautions to protect the food against
contamination.

“Quality is everybody’s responsibility”

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 Quality Assurance

‘Quality is a measure of purity, strength, flavour, colour, size, maturity, workmanship

and condition or any other distinctive attribute of characteristic of the product.

“Quality is doing things right the first time, there is no second time.”

Quality assurance programme run by the company is an indication of information on all

the factors of characteristics of a product affecting the quality of the product.

This is an index of entire operation and serves as a guide for management with regards to the exact quality. Not
only this, it provides management with necessary information needed in processing of a product.

“It serves as a ‘nerve centre’ for management.

REASONS FOR A QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAMME

- Control over raw materials through specifications / standards

- Improvement of product quality

- Improvement in On line Processing resulting saving of cost of production

- Processing of product as per local / international specifications

- Processing under hygienic / sanitary conditions

- Greater consumer confidence in uniform and high quality of the product.

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BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

Online Inspection and Control of:

- Supplies of raw materials and packing materials

- Process standardization

- Finished product standardization

- Physical evaluation of raw and processed products

- Chemical and microbiological evaluation of processed product

- Evaluation of packing material

- Plant hygiene / sanitary conditions

- Personal hygiene

- Wastage disposal control

- Compliance of local and international health standards

- Specification compliance during marketing and distribution

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I) SPECIFICATIONS

a) RAW MATERIAL for POTATO STICKS

 CHIP GRADE POTATOES

 EDIBLE VEGETABLE OIL

 SEASONINGS / FLAVOURS

 SALT

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 GOODRICH

POTATO STICKS

SPECIFICATIONS

Product : Chip Grade Potato’s (Solanum Tubersum)

Varities : Suitable varieties

Type : Handpicked, Farm Fresh

A) Physical Attributes

B) Chemical Attributes
Minimum Limits

i) Moisture : 78-80 %

ii) Total Solids : 20-24 %

iii) Specific Gravity : 1.070- 1.095 %

iv) Reducing Sugar : 0.020% (Preferably Negative)

C) Lab Fry Test

 Colour of Sticks : Creamish, No browning

 Taste and mouthfeel : Crisp, residual grainy feel with natural potato
aroma

D) Packaging

Potatoes should be packed in good quality gunny bags of 25kg, 60kg or 80kg
bags. The bags should have proper ventilation.

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Note: -Glucose content: 0 mg/dl - 11 mg/dl The Glucose content is determined by a
blood sugar tester. The juice is extracted from washed and min. 90% peeled slices out of
a total sample.

The glucose content shall not be above 11 mg / dl in the supplied goods. This is
equivalent to 0,6 mmol / l.

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 SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

Product : Seasonings (General)

A) Physical Attributes

i) Appearance : Dried Powder

ii) Particle Size : Uniform and Free Flowing

B) Chemical Attributes (%)

i) Moisture : Not more than 10.00 %

ii) Acidity : Actual

iii) salt (as Nacl) : Actual

IV) Acid Insoluble Ash : Not more than 2.0 %

C) Microbiological Profile

i) Total Plate Count : <100000 / gm

ii) Yeast & Mould : <250 / gm

D) Packaging

- Seasonings should be packed primarily in a moisture proof air tight / properly

sealed bags and then into a container having inner lining.

- The inner lining of packing should be of food grade material.

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- Primary packing should be in packs for easy handling.

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 SPECIFICATIONS

Product : Common Salt

Brand : Any Known

A) Physical Attributes

i) Appearance : Granular Powder

ii) Colour : White

iii) Particle Size : Free Flowing Fine Particles.

iv) Defects : No Black Specks

v) Foreign Matter : No organic and Inorganic Matter

B) Chemical Attributes (%)

i) Moisture : 6%

ii) Sodium Clhloride (as Nacl) : 96.0 %

iii) Matter insoluble in water : Not more than 1 .0 percent by weight on dry
basis

iv) Matter Soluble in water other : Not more than 0.3 percent by weight on dry
than sodium chloride basis

D) Packaging

- Salt should be packed in air tight food grade packing properly sealed.

- Secondary packing should be in polylined HDPE woven bags.

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b) Packing Material

1. Material : Corrugated Boxes (Cartons)

Product to be Packed : Family Pack, Standard Pack, Value Pack

Characteristics

i) Appearance : Cartons should have clean look.

Corrugation should not appear on white
top. Printing and printing colour should be
as per approved design.

ii) Paper Quality* : Outer : White / brown Vergin Kraft

Media : Semi Kraft (Fluting)

Bottom : Vergin Kraft

iii) GSM of each Paper* : Outer : 150 GSM + 2%

Media : 127 GSM + 2%

Bottom : 150 GMS + 2%

iv) Gum / Adhesive : Should be of food grade, preferably starch

based.

v) Bursting Strength of Board : 11.0kg/cm2 Average

vi) Packing : Cartons should be packed in bundles of 25

each and duly strapped. These bundles

21
 should be stacked on pallets.

vii) Others : Cartons should not get cracked during

folding.

*-Paper Quality & GSM can vary as per the availability and requirements.

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2. Material : BOPP Self Adhesive Tape

Characteristics

i) Appearance : Tape rolls should be clear and

transparent.

ii) Size : 100 yards + 5% in length, 48mm in width

iii) Thickness : Not less than 40 micron or 160 gauge

iv) Gumming Quality : Food Grade Adhesive should be used

- Gumming should be uniform

- Sticking on cartons should be perfect

v) Packaging : 72 rolls in one master carton

vi) Others : Adhesive of tapes should not ooze out

during long storage.

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3. Material : Packaging Film for Unit Packs

a) Type of Material : Laminated Film

i)* Structure of Film : 10 M Pet + 10GSM Extruded poly + 12

M Plazma Met Pet + 20 M poly

ii) Variation : Should not be any variation in

thickness.

b) Printing : Reverse printed as per approved

design.

Printing should be clear and sharp with

proper colour separation and
registration.

c) Packing :

i) Type of Packing : In rolls

ii) Winding : Reverse winding

iii) Wrapping : Each roll should be properly wrapped

iv) Final Packing : Roll should be palletized and shrink –

wrapped.

Note - Size of film, Winding, Unwinding and weight of each roll should be as per
the pkg. machine specs.

*Structure can be changed.

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REJECTION CRITERIA – FOR RAW MATERIAL

a) Product infested with, or showing signals of attack from rodents, insects or

other animals.

b) Product out of microbiological specifications.

c) Product showing contamination with non-food foreign bodies, e.g. glass, wood,
stones, dirt etc.

d) Product showing wetness by condensation of water.

e) Extreme colour, textural or taste difference in fried product.

f) Product with one or more attributes considerably out of specified limits.

g) Underweight below the tolerance of 1.5%.

For rejection of whole delivery, listed criteria must affect a number of boxes equal or
greater than the square root of the total number of boxes.

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C) Finished Product(S)

Product : Natural Potato Sticks

Flavours : salted or other seasoned

A) Physical Attributes

i) Appearance : Square cut Potato Sticks.

ii) Colour : Uniform.

iii) Shape & Size : Square cut sticks

iv) Defects : Brown sticks - <1.0%

Soft Centered - Nil

v) Foreign Odour : Any foreign smell should not be present in the pack
except odour of particular flavour.

B) Chemical Attributes
Max.
i) Moisture : <1.5%

ii) Oil Content : 35% to 37%

iii) Free Fatty Acid : <0.5% (as Palmitic Acid)

iv) Acid Value : <1.0%

vi) Salt/Flavour Content (Approx. : Plain Salted - 1.5%

Dosage)
Other flavours - 6 – 8%

C) Microbiological Profile

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 i) Total Plate Count : 50000/gm

ii) Yeast & Mould : <50/gm

iii) Coliform & Other Pathogens : Negative

D) Packaging

- Packet should be perfectly filled with nitrogen perfectly and should give pillow effect to avoid transit
hazards.

- Vertical and horizontal seals should be straight and perfect.

- Water test should give negative signs.

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 PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR POTATO STICKS

1
Receiving Potato

2
Unloading of Potatoes

3
Conveyor

4 Defective Potatoes Scrap

Grading & Sorting

5
Cleaned Wooden Crates
Crate Filling

6
Storage (If required) (Temp – Max 20 deg C &
Humidity Min 85 %)

Mud / dirt Scrap

7
Transfer to Primary Potato
Hopper
Scrap

8
Manual Removal Wash Tank
of dirt
9 Mud/ Dirt ETP
Destoner Stones Scrap

28
 10 33
Hydro lift Conveyer Water * Filtration

11 Pelling 32
(350-450 rpm, water flow 250 lit/ hr Storage
Peel / Starch ETP

Contd. To next page 31

Receiving of water from borewell
Contd. from Previous Page

12 Trim
& Pare Conveyer Defective potatoes Scrap

13
Water*
Collection in Sugar hopper
34 Air

14
Cutter infeed conveyer Water *

35
Compression 15
Water *
Cutting (Water flow 11 lit/min
Fines Trash
36
Filteration 16 Water *
Drum Washing (if required) Anti – foaming agent
(72 to 75 deg C, 90 sec)
Peel/ Starch / Water ETP
37 Steam
Dehumidification
17 Surface
*Air Moisture Removal (Air Knife & Air Water / Starch / Peel ETP
Sweep)

42
Straining (40 Mesh)
18 QA inspection

41 Frying
Straining (182 – 188 deg C, 43
3.05 min to 3.25) Used oil storages (Hold over
tank
40
Storage 44
Heat Exchanger
29
19
 39
Straining (40 Mesh)

45 Receiving
38
Seasoning from store
Receiving of
Edible oil

47 46
21
Unloading to Storage
Seasoning Application
Hopper

22
Defective Sticks Scrap
Inspection

23
Inclined Conveyer 48
Receiving Nitrogen

24
Vibratory Conveyer
49
53 Storage
Receiving Inserts
25
QA Feeding to weighers
Inspection 50
Filtration
52
26
Storage
Primary Packing with
*Air
Metal Detection
QA Inspection QA Inspection

51 Receiving 27
Packing Material Secondary Packing

28
Palletizing

29
Storage (Max 4 days) 30
 PROCESS VARIABLES AND STANDARDIZATION

1) Feeding of Potatoes

Graded Potatoes (45mm to 70mm) to be fed into feeding elevator with a uniform speed
of feeding.

Ensure that Potatoes has to be graded properly & as required.

2) Destoning

This process, wash the adherence material i.e. soil, mud, sand etc. coming from field
during harvest. Also make peel / skin softer to facilitate easy peeling in continuous
peeler. Ensure that Potatoes are cleaned properly

3) Continuous Peeling / Batch Pelling

Peeling is done by a process abrasive peeling where Potatoes move in different speed
on abrasive rollers, running in different speed which can be controlled.

Ensure that Potatoes are fed (in feed) uniformly & standardize the retention time
accordingly to make effective Peeling.

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4) Inspection

Cleaned / destoned Potatoes are to be inspected for any disease, foreign material,
greenish Potatoes, if so then it is to be sorted out and removed. Oversize Potatoes can
be cut into two halves for proper slicing.

Inspect for Peel on Potatoes.

5) Feeding Cutter

Ensure that feeding of Peeled Potatoes should be uniformly fed.

6) Cutter

Cutter has to be set for required length and thickness. Blades of cutter has to changed, if
rough surface of sticks occurred.

7) Sticks Washer

It is a forced water cleaning / washing of surface starch from the sticks as starches
oozes out when the Potatoes cut. Ensure that water is sufficient and pressure is there.
Washed sticks passed through hydro to remove excess water on surface.

After the surface water removal, sticks.

8) Feeding to Fryer through Belt

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Ensure that sticks are properly distributed on high speed belt for proper uniform feeding
to fryer – as uniform feeding of sticks to the fryer is an important aspect, if the sticks
load is less then temperature will go up or set temperature may be high. If the sticks are
more then it will effect the temperature vice- versa. Hence a proper feeding is required.
Running of ‘air knife’ at High Speed belt is also required all the time of operation.

9) Frying System

Ensure that –

i) Oil level of Frying vessel

ii) Set temp. of Fryer

iii) Retention time of Fryer

iv) Speed of baffles, first belt & take out belt

v) Inspect the fried product on out feed belt.

Fryer oil flow, once set then it should not be changed frequently unless it is required.
Normally the setting change required when Potatoes are of very low solids or a very high
solid content. Setting of temp for inlet & outlet is also very important based on solid
content of Potato Slices. These systems are designed based on 20% solids in Potatoes.

When the sticks come out from takeout belt, it should be perfectly cooked, after cooling,
it will be crisp but it can be examined on Inspection belt – cooking process is continued
till the product cooled & achieve room temperature.

 How to fill oil in the fryer, what quantity / mix of oil to be filled, heating it at
what temperature & why?
33
After the boil out, the fryer is empty so fresh oil is filled in it. The fresh oil is stored in oil
tanks outside the factory & through pipeline the oil is transferred to the fryer. Whenever
fresh oil is to be filled, the knob for control power & oil level control on the control panel
is turned on & oil flows in the fryer. The quantity of oil taken in the fryer can be known
from the meter provided near the fryer. The fryer is filled with appx. 1800 ltrs. of fresh oil
at start up after boil out & it is heated up to 174  -180C.

 How to set fryer paddle & conveyor speed? How to control Fryer dwell time?

Fryer paddle & conveyor speed is set with the help of knobs provided on the control
panel. The paddles retain the sticks in the fryer so that they get cooked properly. So the
speed of the paddles is to be set in accordance with the extent of cooking needed. The
fryer dwell time is also controlled by the speed of the three conveyors & the speed of
the paddle in the fryer.

 What is hold over oil & how blending is done? Why?

Hold over oil is the oil that has been used earlier & has high PV & FFA contents. To
reduce the PV & FFA value of hold over or used oil, fresh oil is mixed in it and the
mixed oil can be reused in the fryer. This process of mixing oil is called blending. To get
the blending ratio, first the FFA &PV of the hold over oil & fresh oil is noted & then
calculations are done to get the quantity of fresh oil to be added to get the desired level
of FFA & PV of the oil in fryer. Blending is done to maintain the PV & FFA of the fryer oil
within the standard limits. Such blending is done during the shifts to maintain the oil
quantity & PV & FFA value of oil in the fryer.

 How to start the heat exchanger and what temperature to be maintained &
why?

The steps to be followed to start the heat exchanger are –

Switch on the main power supply, heat exchanger on run mode & pollution fan. Start
the oil circulation in the heat exchanger, turn on the diesel pump & the LPG supply to

34
the heat exchanger. Then switch on the burner. Within 10-15 minutes, flame would
appear on the burner. Then set the chamber temperature at a set point of 740 C. It
should be taken care of that the chamber temperature should not go beyond 840C.

10) Inspection Belt

Inspection Belt fed the fried sticks to the seasoning drum should feed the sticks
uniformly. This belt is regulated by VFD & programme as if the product is in low quantity
it become slow and if the product is in more on out feed belt then it runs faster.

This is desired to facilitate uniform quantity of sticks to seasoning drum.

11) Seasoning Applicator & Seasoning Drum

Seasoning applicator has a paddle mix which rotate for breaking the lumps, if any in the
seasoning. Seasonings are in dry powder form, should be free flowing and having equal
particle size, so that it can drop in uniform quantity than working calf feeders since this
system work on gravity, there is no force spraying hence the above characteristics in
seasoning is required. Amount / quantity of seasoning going to the drum can be
controlled by adjustment of speed of seasoning applicator.

Ensure that the seasoning or salt should have low moisture content.

Seasoning drum rotation can also be adjusted in such a way that there should not be
any breakage during tumbling & product rotate smoothly. Also ensure equal distribution
of seasoning on the product.

Seasoning particle size and moisture also play an important role in flavouring by
this system.
35
11) Cooling / Feeding

Seasoned product directly go into the hopper of elevator for packaging

machine to feed the multihead weighers . Ensure that product should

be cooled to room temperature before goes into packs.

This is to be examined.

12) Packaging

Equal quantity of sticks should fed to the weighers, so that weighers should not over
flow. Accordingly, speed of the elevator has to be fixed. Ensure the followings during
packaging –

a) Proper sealing (Top, bottom & central seal).

b) Quantity of nitrogen filling, if the nitrogen is in more quantity then there are chances
that pack can bulge more, if a retailer keep this in ‘sunlight’ or at high altitude it can
burst.

c) To counter check sealing – dip the pack fully in water (keep water in a bucket) and
press by fingers, if there is any leakage you can observe air bubbles in water like
puncture test.

d) Also see the sealing strength of a pack by pressing forcely between the hands.

e) Also see the cooling i.e. Batch No., Dt. Of Mfg., Dt. Of expiry etc. are readable &
printed properly.

f) Counter check number of the packs in one carton (secondary packing) frequently.

36
 TEST PROCEDURES

DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE CONTENT

Air – Oven Method

The air-oven method is applicable to all the ordinary oils and fats, which have a relatively low moisture content
(below one percent), but not to drying or semi-drying oils or oils of the coconut oil group. This method is not
applicable to solvent extracted oils and fats, which may contain residues from solvents with fairly high boiling
points.

Since water tends to settle in samples of oils or fats, which have softened or melted, care shall be taken to mix the
samples thoroughly so as to distribute the water uniformly. Soften the sample with gentle heat (but do not melt)
and mix thoroughly. This general precaution is applicable to this method.

Apparatus

Moisture Dish – made of aluminum sheet about 0.45 to 0.56mm thickness, 70 to 80mm in diameter and 20mm
deep: provided with tight-fitting slip-over cover.

Desiccator – containing an efficient desiccant, such as phosphorous pentoxide.

Air-Oven – preferably electrically heated, with temperature control device.

Procedure - Weigh accurately about 10g of the oil or fat into a moisture dish which has been dried previously,
cooled in the desiccator and then weighed. Place the dish in the air-over for approximately one hour at 105 + 1oC .
Remove the dish from the oven, cool in the desiccator to room temperature and weigh. Repeat this procedure but
keep the dish in the oven only for half and hour each time until the difference between the two successive
weighing does not exceed one milligram. Preserve the heated oil or fat for the determination of insoluble
impurities.

Calculation

100w
Moisture and volatile matter content, percent by weight =
W
37
Where, w = loss in weight in g of the material upon drying, and

W = weight in g of the material taken for the test

DETRMINATION OF FREE FATTY ACIDS

The Acid Value is determined by directly titrating the material in an alcoholic medium with aqueous sodium or
potassium hydroxide solution. Free Fatty Acid is calculated as oleic, lauric, ricinoleic acids.

Reagents

Ethyl Alcohol – ninety five percent (by volume), or rectified spirit [conforming to IS:323-1959. Specification for
Rectified Spirit (Revised)] neutral to phenolphthalein indicator.

Phenolphthalein Indicator Solution – Dissolve one gram of phenolphthalein in 100ml of ethyl alcohol.

Standard Aqueous Potassium Hydroxide or Sodium Hydroxide Solutions – 0.1 N or 0.5 N.

Procedure : Mix the oil or melted fat thoroughly before weighing. Weigh accurately a suitable quantity of the
cooled oil or fat in a 200ml conical flask. The weight of the oil or fat taken for the test and the strength of the alkali
used for the titration shall be such that the volume of alkali required for the titration does not exceed 10ml. Add
50 to 100ml of freshly neutralized hot ethyl alcohol, and about one milliliter of phenolphthalein indicator solution.
Boil the mixture for about give minutes and titrate while as hot as possible with standard aqueous alkali solution,
shaking vigorously during titration.

Calculation

Acid Value = 56.1 VN

Where

V = Volume in ml of standard potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide solution used.

N = Normality of standard potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide solution, and

38
 W = Weight in g of the material taken for the test

DETERMINATION OF PEROXIDE VALUE

The Peroxide Value is a measure of the peroxides contained in a sample of fat, expressed as
milli-equivalents of peroxide per 1000 grams of the material.

The material in an acetic acid-chloroform medium, is treated with an aqueous solution of potassium iodide. The
liberated iodine is titrated with standard sodium thiosulphate solution.

APPARATUS

Pipette – Graduated, 1 ml capacity

Conical Flask – Glass-stoppered, 250 ml capacity

Reagents

Acetic Acid Chloroform Solution – Mix three parts by volume of glacial acetic acid, with 2 parts by volume of
chloroform.

Potassium Iodide Solution – Saturated. Dissolve 4 part of of pure potassium iodide in 3 part of distilled water,
Store in the dark brown bottle.

Sodium Thiosulphate Solution – 0.1 N, accurately standardized

Sodium Thiosulphate Solution – 0.01 N. This solution is prepared by diluting 100ml of accurately standardized
solution of 0.1 N sodium thiosulphate to 1000ml with freshly boiled and cooled distilled water :

Starch Solution – 1 percent

PROCEDURE

39
Weigh 5.00 + 0.05g of sample of fat in a 250ml glass stoppered conical flask and then add 30ml of the acetic acid-
chloroform solution. Swirl the flask until the sample is dissolved. Add 0.5ml of saturated potassium iodide
solution. Allow the solution to stand, exactly one minute with occasioinal shaking and then add 30ml of distilled
water. Titrate with 0.1 N sodium thiosulphate solution with constant and vigorous shaking. Continue titration
until the yellow colour almost disappears. Add 0.5ml of starch solution and continue titration till the blue colour
just disappears.

If the titre value is less than 0.5ml, repeat the determination using 0.01 N sodium thiosulphate solution.

Conduct a blank determination of the reagents in the same way. The titration in blank determination should not
exceed 0.1ml of the 0.1 N sodium thiosulphate solution.

CALCULATION

Peroxide value as milli-equivalents per 1000 grams.

Sample = (S-B) x N x 1000

where,

S = volume in ml of sodium thiosulphate solution used up by the sample

B = volume in ml of the sodium thiosulphate solution used up in the

blank determination

N = Normality of the sodium thiosulphate solution and

g = weight in g of the sample

40
DETERMINATION OF SODIUM CHLORIDE IN PRODUCTS

To estimate the sodium chloride in products, chlorides are precipitated by an excess of silver nitrate and the
organic matter is then oxidized with potassium permanganate, KmnO 4 in acid solution. The excess KMnO4 is
decomposed by sucrose. The unused AgNO3 is determined by titration with thiocyanate. The sodium chloride
content is calculated from the amount of silver nitrate used.

Reagents - Silver nitrate (0.1 N), Potassium Chromate indicato

Procedure-

Take sample in Conical Flask

Add ½ ml of Pot. Chromate & Titrate against AgNO3

Note the readind when brick red precipitate is formed.

Calculate Normality and Estimate %age of Salt.

Ex- Calculation

Normality of sample solution ---N1

Volume of sample solution V1

Normality of AgNO3solution ---0.1 N

41
Volume of silver nitrate used-------

N1 VI = N2 V2

N1 = 0.1 X 3.5 / 1

= 0.35

Gms / Litre = Normality x Equivalent Weight

= 0.35 x 58.5

= 20.475 gms / litre

1000 ml sample solution contains 20.475

100 gm sample will contain 20.475 / 1000 x 100 = 2.0475 % salt

42
CRUDE FAT OR ETHER EXTRACTIVES

Ether soluble material in a food is extracted from an oven-dried sample using a Soxhlet
extraction apparatus. The ether is evaporated and the residue weighed.

The ether extract or crude fat of a food represents, besides the true fat (triglycerides), other materials such as
phospholipids, sterols, essential oils, fat-soluble pigments etc., extractable with ether. Water soluble materials are
not extracted since the sample has been thoroughly dried prior to extraction with anhydrous ether or petroleum
ether.

PROCEDURE

Transfer the dried sample remaining after moisture determination to a thimble and plug the top of the thimble
with a wad of fat-free cotton. Drop the thimble into the fat extraction tube of a Soxhlet apparatus. Attach the
bottom of the extraction tube to a Soxhlet flask. Pour approximately 75ml or more of anhydrous ether through the
sample in the tube into the flask. Attach the top of fat extraction tube

to the condenser. Extract the sample for 16 hr or longer on a water bath. The water bath should be regulated so
that the ether which volatilizes condenses and drops continuously upon the sample without any appreciable loss.

At the end of the extraction period, remove the thimble from the apparatus and distil off most of the ether by
allowing it to collect in the Soxhlet tube. Pour off the ether when the tube is nearly full(save the thimble
containing the extracted sample for the crude fibre estimation). When the ether has reached a small volume, pour
it into a small, dry (previously weighed) beaker through a small funnel containing a plug of cotton. Rinse the flask
and filter thoroughly, using several small portions of ether. Evaporate the ether on a steam bath at low heat,

43
preferably under a current of air. Dry at 100 oC for 1 hr, cool and weigh. The difference in the weights gives the
ether- soluble material present in the sample.

CALCULATION
Wt of ether-soluble material x 100

%Crude fat = Wt. Of sample

PACKAGING MATERIAL TESTING

PRIMARY PACKAGING

A) Packaging Film

 Take out one-meter packaging film from a representative roll

 Measure width of the film

 Measure length from eye mark to eye mark

 Match the printing quality of the film with the standard art work

 Check the registration of the colours of printing

 Check the lamination by tearing of the film, as it should not get separated during tearing.

 Check the shrinkage and air bubbles on the reverse side of the film or proper metalization.

 Check the GSM of the film, it should not deviate from standard GSM.

 Measure the thickness of the film.

SECONDARY PACKAGING

a) Corrugated Boxes

44
 Measure Length, width and height of the box specified for particular pack.

 Evaluate, over all box and the its printing.

 Box should not be moist and absolutely dry. It should have an optimum moisture in order to retain the box in
shape.

 Form the box and see there should not be any gap between the flaps.

 Check the ply of box configuration.

 Count the flutes in one foot. It should have minimum 50 flutes per ft.

 Cut 10 sq. cm. Piece from the sheet of the box

 Weigh the 10 sq.cm. piece.

 Dip this piece in the stream of water for few minutes and separate all the layers once it gets little soft.

 Wash the gums gently in each layer with the help of soft brush.

 Dry ach layer individually in a hot water oven.

 Weigh the each layer once it is dry individually, to work out the GSM of each paper.

b) Adhesive Tape

 Adhesive tape should be based on BOPP or PVC.

 The adhesive used should be food grad

 Measure the width of the tape.

 Evaluate the printing of tape

 Evaluate adhesive property of tape.

45
 Important Tables

TABLE ‘A’

PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF POTATOES

PERCENT

Minimum Maximum

Water 63.2 86.9

Total Solids 13.1 36.9

Protein 0.7 4.6

Fat 0.02 0.96

46
 Carbohydrate 13.0 30.5

Ash 0.44 1.99

TABLE ‘B’

RELATIONSHIP OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY TO OIL CONTENT OF POTATO CHIPS

Specific Gravity Percent Oil Values Reported By :

Smith Plimpton (OSU)

LULAL & ORR

Regular Wavy

1.065 45.3 45.71 42.5 41.2

1.070 38.0 44.38 41.5 39.8

1.075 36.7 43.05 40.6 38.3

1.080 36.1 41.72 39.6 37.8

47
 1.085 35.9 40.38 38.6 37.2

1.090 32.3 39.06 37.6 36.7

1.095 37.73 36.6 36.2

1.100 37.40 35.6 34.9

1.105 35.07 34.6 33.5

TABLE ‘C’

CONVERSION TABLE FOR SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF POTATOES TO WATER, DRY MATTER AND STARCH IN
PERCENT

(Calculated from Von Scheele Equations:

% Starch = 17.564 + 199.07 (SP Gr – 1.0988);

% Dry Matter = 24.182 + 211.04 (Sp Gr – 1.0988);

% water by difference or 100 - % Dry Matter

Specific Gravity % Water % Dry Matter % Starch

1.050 86.12 23.88 7.85

1.055 85.06 14.94 8.85

48
1.060 84.01 15.99 9.84

1.065 82.95 17.05 10.84

1.070 81.90 18.10 11.83

1.075 80.84 19.16 12.83

1.080 79.79 20.21 13.82

1.085 78.73 21.27 14.82

1.090 77.67 22.33 15.81

1.095 76.62 23.38 16.81

1.100 75.56 24.44 17.80

1.105 74.41 25.49 18.80

1.110 73.45 26.55 19.79

49
 Potatoes
General specifications for potatoes

Attached soil : < 2.00 %

Attached soil is determined by weight measurement and has to be assessed by
weighing a total washed sample against the weight of a total unwashed
sample.
Standards for attached soil
Maximum 2% attached soil is permissible.

Foreign matter : 0.00 %

Foreign matter is all matter other than potatoes, such as glass, metal, plastic,
wood, leaves and stones. It is assessed by its weight against the total sample
weight.
Standards for foreign matter
No foreign matter in the delivered goods is
allowed.

External specifications

Attached sprouts and stolons : 0.00 %

A sprout is determined by its length. Any visual sprout has to be assessed by its
tuber weight against the total sample weight.

Standards for sprouts and stolons

No Sprouts and Stolons are permissible on the supplied goods.

Raw grade greening : < 2.00 %

Raw grade greening is determined by visual inspection and at least 12,50% of
the tuber surface has to be green. It has to be assessed by its tuber weight
against the total sample weight.

Standards for greening

Maximum 2% greening is permissible in the supplied goods.

Bruise : < 5.00 %

Bruise is determined by visual inspection and if greater than 5mm in diameter.
It has to be assessed by its tuber weight against the total sample weight.

Standards for bruising

50
51