INTRODUCTION

Plantain is among the major tropical staple foods (Dzomeku et al., 2006). In Nigeria, steaming, roasting
and frying are the most commonly used cooking methods (Omotosho et al., 2015). The type of all, oil
temperature and time of frying affect the attributes of finished products. low oil temperature may lead
to higher oil uptake into the fried foods (Mba et al., 2015). Cooking of food leads to the improvement of
microbiological and organoleptic qualities, destroys toxins and anti-nutritional factors increase the
digestibility and nutrients bioavailability (Erdman and Schneider, 1994).

There are two different methods of making plantain chips, one of which is to deep fry thin slices of
plantain in hot oil. The other is to dry slices of plantain either in the sun or using a solar or artificial dryer
(Mepba et al., 2007). The product made by the two methods tend to be different, the deep fried chips
tend to be a savory high calorie content and because there are deep fried in oil, they have a fairly short
shelf life (Abdullah, 2014).

The chemical composition of plantain varies with the variety, maturity degree of ripeness and soil type
on which it is grown. The water content in the green plant is about 61% and increases on ripening to
about 68%. The increase in water content is presumably due to the breakdown of carbohydrate during
respiration. Plantain is very rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B6 and they also
contain high sugar content especially when ripe (Marriott et al., 1981). They are good sources of
vitamins particularly iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, ascorbic acid, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin
(Adeniyi et al., 2006).

As the fruit ripens, sugar content increases while starch content decreases, green plantain can be stored
up to seven days at room temperature and up to twenty days under refrigeration (Akinyemi et al.,
2010). Frying removes some water, gelatinizes the starch, destroys enzymes and micro-organisms and
give a crisp product with characteristic and taste, low moisture content inhibits microbial growth and
packaging prevents contamination (Yang and Gad, 2008). The type of oil used may lead to higher uptake
into the fried foods. Cooking of food leads to the improvement of microbiological and organoleptic
qualities, destroys toxin factors, increase digestibility and nutrient bioavailability. The different type of
oil to be used are palm oil which gives the products a red color while the groundnut oil, soya and olive
oil gives it a golden brown color (Musa, 2002).

In the production of plantain chips, certain ingredients are needed. These ingredients include; the ripe
or unripe plantain, the vegetable oil of which will be used for frying, salt to taste and spice. The use of
these ingredients is for the sole purpose of making the plantain chips savory or to improve the
organoleptic properties of the plantain chips at the end of production.
PRODUCTION PROCESS OF PLANTAIN CHIPS

Below are the processes of producing plantain chips in their order of preparation.

1. Sorting or de-fingering of plantain

2. Counting of plantain fingers
3. Washing of plantain
4. Peeling of plantain
5. Slicing
6. Portioning of sliced plantain for frying
7. Addition of additives
8. Frying
9. De-oiling or draining of oil
10. Addition of post frying condiments
11. Cooling
12. Packaging

PRODUCTION PROCESS FLOWCHART

 SORTING OR DE-FINGERING OF PLANTAIN

Sorting is a process which involves the inspection of plantain fingers to identify and remove unsuitable
ones (spoilt, low pulp or immature pulps). The good ones are then staked in dozens and thereafter de-
fingered from the bunch in each batch.

COUNTING OF PLANTAIN FINGERS

The plantain fingers after sorting and de-fingering are then counted in batches preferable to the
producer. It is the first data to be captured for a thorough monitored process
 WASHING OF PLANTAIN

Washing of plantain can be done in two ways which is the pre-washing of the plantain and the main
washing.

PRE-WASHING

Pre-washing is a safety measure as well as a quality measure in the food industry, while it kills bacteria
on the veggies, it’s also meant to spiff up color and cleanliness. Pre-washing as a process in the
production of plantain chips involves the washing of the plantain wholly before the peeling off. This
helps reduce surface contaminants like pesticide residue, insects, soil or dirt etc. it can be done with hot
or cold water. Example of the process is shown below:

WASHING

Washing is done with clean water to remove any remaining soil deposits on the peeled plantain, and
also to separate slices. Citric acid or sodium meta-bi-sulphite can be added to the wash water (10g/litre)
to prevent darkening of fruit.

REASON FOR WASHING AND PRE-WASHING

Washing and pre-washing plantain before processing is very crucial to human health/wellness and
existence. Some of the reasons for these processes are:

1. It helps to remove soil, dirt and other contaminants that may be present on the surface of the
plantain. This is important because these contaminants can harbor harmful bacteria that can
cause foodborne illnesses.
2. It also helps to remove any residual pesticides or other chemicals that may have been used
during cultivation. This too is important because these chemicals can be harmful to human
health if injested in large quantities.