PotatoPro Newsletter

Services for the Potato Processing Industry

March 19, 2008

Last week we discussed here the "chip shop standards", recommendations prepared by the New Zealand Chip group on how to prepare french fries. This standard includes a recommendation on frying oils. Earlier, we provided a range of potential choices of healthy frying oils in the US.

These are the recommendations. But what frying oils do the big chain restaurants actually fry their fries in? We did some digging in news articles of the last few years and the nutritional information and press releases provided by the QSR restaurants themselves and came up with the following overview:

This overview of frying oils of QSR restaurants can also be found on the PotatoPro site and will be updated as new information comes available.

First of all a disclaimer: a significant part if this information comes from news articles. News may be a bit imprecise as to what oil is exactly used: E.g. if a chain would announce they fry their fries in sunflower oil, they could actually be fried in:

• regular sunflower oil
• mid oleic sunflower oil
• high oleic sunflower oil
• a blend of these oils

Similar differences exist for other frying oils.

As you can see from the table, several fast food chains use different frying oils in different countries, so in your country the frying oil used may be different. There are even differences within a country, e.g. as a result of the trans fat bans certain cities in the US. Several QSR chains are also in the process of switching their oil.

One word for the restaurant chains: feel free to send us detailed information on what frying oils are used in what countries and we will gladly publish that in on of the upcoming issues of the PotatoPro Newsletter.

The bottom line: the switches to healthier oils by the major restaurant chains are making your french fries healthier!

Enjoy reading,

Paul van Eijck

Featured Event

XXIII ALAP Congress and VI Latin American Seminar on Potato Use and Trade

More information is now available on this major potato conference in Argentina close to the end of the International Year of the Potato.

Hope to see you there!

Last week we mentioned in this spot the EAPR conference in Romania. However, an alert PotatoPro reader noticed that we tried to send you to Bratislava instead of Brasov...Therefore, once again, the new information on this conference in Brasov

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Featured Market Research Report

Oils & Fats Market - Regional level to 2011

This databook is a detailed information resource covering all the key data points on Oils & Fats market at regional level. It includes comprehensive value volume segmentation and market share data. The databook supplies actual data to 2006 and full forecasts to 2011 for the following five regions: Asia Pacific, Latin America, North America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe.

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Featured Book

Frying: Improving quality

Frying is one of the oldest and most widely-used of food processes. Its popularity relates to the speed with which a food is cooked, the distinctive flavour and texture frying gives the food and its contribution to increased shelf-life. As a result the process is used for a wide range of vegetable, meat and fish products. Edited by a leading authority in the field and with a distinguished international team of contributors, Frying provides an authoritative review of key issues in improving quality in the manufacture of fried products.

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Featured Product

Potato Sugar Testing Glucolis

Sugar content plays an essential part in the culinary and technological quality of potato tubers. It also depends on variety, maturity at harvesting and storage conditions. This simple kit can provide valuable management information.

* For on-the-spot evaluation of optimal harvesting dates for potatoes destined to become crisps or French fries.
* Harvest times, storage temperatures and potato handling can all be planned to ensure the highest quality.
* Easy-to-use kit, requires no special training to use. Each test uses at least 20 potato tubers, representative of the bulk to be tested.
* The kit has sufficient consumables for an analysis scheme carried out by an average size potato producer in a typical season (30 tests). Replacement consumables are readily available.

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