POTATO CHIPS MANUFACTURING:

ITS PRODUCTION AND WASTE GENERATION

ChE 180: Agro-Industrial Waste Management
Section B, First Semester and A.Y. 2017-2018

Villaruz, Sharmaine P.
BS Chemical Engineering, 2013-08642

OVERVIEW

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a common food commodity and

sometimes even a substitute for rice. The growing global production of potatoes
led to the development of many processed potato products, including the potato
chips.

Potato chips are thin slices of potatoes, which are fried and then
seasoned with various flavors. Potato chip is the considered as the only ready-
to-eat vegetables available in the market. The manufacturing process of potato
chip consists of different generated wastes, from solid wastes such as potato
peelings to liquid wastes such as water used in washing. Some wastes such as
the solution treatment are recycled back while some are treated by in-plant
facility units.
INTRODUCTION

Potato chip is a processed product from fresh potatoes. In the Philippines, raw
material for the production of French fries and potato chips are largely imports from
abroad. However, global consumption revealed that there was a continuous grow for
potato products especially potato chips. The demand for potato chips has greatly
increased and it maintains to be the number one ready-to-go vegetable product among
processed foods.

As mentioned above, the Philippines is importing part of its domestic demand

for raw materials for the national potato chips industry (Wustman, Franke, Haverkort &
Koesveld, 2010). About 17, 000 metric tons are annually imported for these raw
materials for the production of potato chips here in the country.

Thus, the increase in the import of the potato chips raw materials showed that
there is an increasing demand for potato products, especially potato chips and French
fries.

Based on the study, the prospects of setting up a raw material production for
chips production factory in the Philippines is very promising. The only product is the
unavailability of production fields that are free from soil borne pathogens (Wustman,
Franke, Haverkort & Koesveld, 2010).

In the Philippines, two Manila-based companies contribute to the sector of

potato chips. Universal Robina Corporation accounts for 12,000 MT of imported raw
materials annually while that of Liwayway is about 5,000 MT (Wustman, Franke,
Haverkort & Koesveld, 2010).

Nevertheless, raw materials are imported abroad and so we can say that the
large amount of profit for the Filipino potato farmers are being withheld.

In the production of the potato chips, the raw potatoes are first washed, trimmed
and peeled. These produce the highest amount of solid wastes because of the potato
peelings. Nevertheless, the peelings are brought back to farms as feed for animals.
Then the potatoes are brined and blanched which produces brine and starch as waste
materials, respectively. Brine can be recycled back while starch can be sold. The
potato chips undergo slicing, sorting and color treatment. Then, they are fried and
deoiled. These two stages produced oil as their waste material. Oil can then be utilized
for other processes. The potato chips are then seasoned and packaged.

Waste generation in potato chips manufacture is mostly solid because of the

consequent washing, trimming and peeling. Then, liquid waste accounts for those
processes which utilizes water as their medium.

In general, this paper aims to study the production and waste generation of
potato chips. Its specific objectives are as follow:

1. Study and provide a summary discussion of each process on the

manufacture of potato chips.
2. Identify industrial equipments used in this process
3. Identify process streams in which wastes are produced; and
4. Classify the waste as solid, liquid and gas
MAIN DISCUSSION

The potatoes delivered to the processing plant undergoes washing first using
water to remove dirt stuck on them. To prevent the formation of black spots, delivered
potatoes should not be older than a day (Advameg, n.d.). However, potatoes that are
to be processed on a much later date could be stored, such as in winter times, where
potato chip manufacturers rely on their stock of raw materials (Advameg, n.d.). These
potatoes are stored at a constant temperature, between 40-45 F for several weeks
and when they are to be processes, the potatoes are first transferred to a
reconditioning room kept at 70-75 F (Advameg, n.d.). Pailthorp and colleagues (n.d.)
stated that the dirt or silt removed in the washing process are treated separately from
other wastewater. Also, some manufacturing plants have their own in-plant treatment
facility while some are practicing the recycle of wash water. These treatment facilities
usually include screens, clarifiers and cyclone units (Pailthorp, Filbert & Richter, n.d.).

After the potatoes are washed, they are to be examined for green edges and
blemishes (Advameg, n.d.). This is the inspection stage wherein the good quality
potatoes are filtered out from the damaged ones. This step is commonly done through
manual inspection. The defective potatoes are then collected together and weighed. If
their mass exceeds that of the companys standards, the entire batch could be rejected
(Advameg, n.d.). The rejected potatoes are send back to farms and are used as animal
feeds (Advameg, n.d.). Meanwhile, the qualified potatoes are moved, usually through
a conveyor belt to the first stage of production (Chips machine, n.d.).

Trimming constitutes the first stage of production, in which the inedible potato
parts are rid of. The trimmed potatoes are then peeled. In the peeling process, the
skins of the potatoes are removed either through mechanical friction or by applying
steam (Dornow, n.d.). This stage should only last for 3-8 minutes as to prevent material
loss (Advameg, n.d.). Like the rejected potatoes, the potato peelings and trimmed parts
are also send back to farms for animal feeds (Pailthorp et al., n.d.). Pailthorp and
colleagues also pointed out that the peeling process contribute to the highest amount
of generated wastes, thus, improvements in peeling efficiency such as the use of
higher-pressure water sprays and use of continuous abrasion were explored.

Then, the peeled potatoes are soaked in brine water for 30-35 minutes. This
stage called brining prevents the browning of the potatoes (Potato Processing, n.d.).
After which the potatoes are sorted by size to regulate the size of the potato chips in
the end. Larger potatoes are cut into smaller proportions in this stage.

Slicing proceeds afterwards in which the potatoes should have a thickness

range of 1.7-1.85 mm (Advameg, n.d.). For this stage, either a revolving impaler or
presser with varying blade shapes depending on the desired shape of the potato chip
can be used. For example, ridged potato chips were sliced using ridged blades while
regular rounded potato chips used straight blades (Advameg, n.d.).

Afterwards, the sliced potato chips were washed with cold water of temperature
ranging from 80-90 C for 1-2 minutes. This process called blanching is important since
it removes the starch released by the potatoes during the cutting stage. If the starch
were not removed, it may dissolve in the oil while frying and may shorten the frying life
of the oil (Wicklund & Ivers, 1981). Moreover, Wicklund and Ivers stated that through
blanching, the potato slices were prevented from sticking together. The solubilized
starch is either sold to starch processors or treated using secondary treatment facilities
such as biological oxidation or land disposal (Pailthorp et al., n.d.).
 After blanching, the potato slices are chemically treated using a special
solution, which is chemically prepared for pH, hardness and mineral content. This is
done to enhance the color quality of the potato chips (Advameg, n.d.). This color
treatment also inactivates enzymes and softens the organizational structure of the
potato slices. Sodium bisulfite is the common solution used for the color protection of
the chips. However, the concentration of sodium bisulfite should be from 0.1-0.4 % (by
weight) only since a higher concentration can affect the taste of the chips and can also
cause sickness to people sensitive to sulfite (Chips machine, n.d.).

The potato slices are then subjected to a drying process to remove the surface
water that may affect the frying process. The dryers may either utilized centrifugal force
or air jets (Potato processing, n.d.). This process is kept at 140-150 F (Potato
Processing, n.d.).

The dried potato slices are then fried using corn oil, cottonseed oil, or a blend
of vegetable oils. To prevent rancidity, an oxidizing agent is added to the frying oil
(Advameg, n.d.). The temperature of the oil is controlled at 350-375 F. According to
Chen (n.d), temperatures lower than 350 F will lead to an increase in oil content and
higher water elimination time; while, temperatures higher than 375 F promotes oil
decomposition and affects the luster and color quality of the chips because of
excessive potato chip sugar cameralization. Frying time is done for 1-2 minutes (Chips
machine, n.d.).

Deoiling comes right after the frying stage and this is done to increase the shelf
life of the potato chips (Chips machine, n.d.). This stage is usually performed by
moving the chips along a mesh conveyer belt to drain off the excess oil (Advameg,
n.d.). The discarded oil from the frying and deoiling stages can be further utilized in
other processes like what Girgis (2004) did when she used the discarded oil for toilet
soap making. Then, the chips are then cooled and sorted out.

In the sorting stage, burnt or defective potato chips are separated from the good
quality chips. Traditionally, a manual inspection is done for this but technology paved
the way for an optical sorter. This optical sorter uses air to puff out defective potato
chips such as those with discoloration (Sniderman, 2013). These defective potato
chips are separated and are used as animal feed (Pailthorp et al., n.d.).

After the sorting stage, the potato chips are ready for seasoning. This stage
can be done using an equipment that resembled a dryer. It can be a drum, disc or
octagonal type seasoning machine (Potato processing, n.d.). Seasonings are added
to enhance the taste of the chips and they come in various flavors such as plain salt,
cheese and barbecue.

Lastly, after the chips are flavored, they are now ready for packaging. This is
the last step in the manufacturing process. First, the chips are put into aluminum-plastic
composite bags. This provides a superior barrier to oxygen, which allows the product
to last longer (Chips machine, n.d.). A machine is sometimes used to signal the number
of chips required for each bag. Next, the bags are filled with nitrogen air. Nitrogen air
is inexpensive, chemically inert and helps the chips to stay fresh (Chips machine, n.d.).
Overabundance of air and breaking of chips are closely monitored in this stage. Then,
the bags are sealed off using heat. Fourth, the bags are weighed to ensure that the
proper mass was achieved. Then, the bags undergo a metal detector machine to
ensure that no foreign materials such as metal scraps were mixed inside together with
the potato chips (Advameg, n.d.). Lastly, the sealed bags of potato chips are conveyed
to a collator and are hand-packed into cartons (Advameg, n.d.).
 Other components foreign to potato chips such as the preserving chemicals
and other food ingredients are put into secondary treatment units which includes
screens and clarifier or are recycled back (Pailthorp et al., n.d.).

The overall process is shown in Figure 1 below.

Brine Water
Water

Potatoes
Washing Inspection Trimming Peeling Brining Brine Water

Dirt+Water Rejected Potatoes Inedible Parts Potato Peelings

Sodium Bisulfite Cold Water

Color
Blanching Slicing Cutting Initial Sorting
Treatment

Sodium Bisulfite Starch+Water

Oil

Drying Frying Deoiling Cooling Final Sorting Defective Chips

Excess Oil Excess Oil

Nitrogen Gas Flavors
Water

Potato Chips Packaging Seasoning

Flavors

Nitrogen Gas

Figure 1. Overall process flowchart with the wastes generated for the production of
potato chips.

The summary and the classification of the generated waste in the potato chip
manufacture is shown below.

Table 1. Summary and classification of the generated wastes from potato chips
manufacture

Stage Gas Liquid Solid

Washing - Water Dirt

Inspection - - Rejected Potatoes

Trimming - - Inedible Parts

Peeling - - Potato Peelings

Brining - Brine -

Blanching - Water Starch

Color Treatment - Sodium Bisulfite -

Continuation of Table 1. Summary and classification of the generated wastes from
potato chips manufacture

Drying - Water -

Frying - Used Oil -

Deoiling - Excess Oil -

Final Sorting - - Defective Chips

Seasoning - - Flavors

Packaging Nitrogen gas - -

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Potato chips production begins with the washing, inspecting, trimming and
peeling of the raw potatoes. These stages produce the most wastes, especially, the
peeling stage. Potato peelings and trimmings are commonly send back to the farm for
animal feed. While the water used for these stages is usually treated first and then
recycled back. The next stages which are brining, slicing, color treatment and
blanching produces another set of effluents such as starch, brine and chemical
treatment solution. Starch undergoes another process again before they are sold while
brine and the chemical solutions are recycled back for further use. Frying and deoiling
stages produced the same waste, oil, which can be used for other processes. Lastly,
packaging may produce excess amounts of nitrogen gas which can be disposed to the
environment.

The potato chips industry produces significant amount of wastes and that is
why, it is very important that each type of waste is either treated properly or recycled
back.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To God be the Glory!

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