Cooperative Extension Service Food Manufacturing and Technology Feb. 2000 FMT-1
Processing Taro Chips James Hollyer1, Robert Paull2, and Alvin Huang3 1Agricultural Development in the American Pacific, 2Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Science, 3Department of Human Nutrition, Food, and Animal Sciences
aking taro chips is similar to making potato chips. Use safe food handling practices: MThe quality of the final product is determined both ¥ Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least by the quality of the plant material used and the frying 45 seconds before and after handling food. If you have process. The following information is based on CTAHR an infection or cut on your hands, wear rubber or plastic production and processing research and the experiences of gloves. Wash gloved hands just as often as bare hands, a Hawaii taro-chipping business. because the gloves can pick up bacteria. (However, when washing gloved hands, you don’t need to take off your Production considerations gloves and wash your bare hands, too.) The upland-grown, Chinese taro Bun Long is considered Clean cutting surfaces and processing equipment with to be the best taro for chips. Its corms have less of the ¥ “itchiness” that is often associated with taro in general, bleach and commercial kitchen cleaning agents accord- and chips made from it have distinctive purple strands. ing to product directions. Other taro varieties can be used as chips, but success var- ¥ Keep all processing equipment in safe and optimal op- ies. Wet-grown taro varieties usually have too high a mois- erating order. Keep the equipment sanitized, dry, and ture content to make a good chip. covered to prevent contamination. Although higher planting density (up to 15,000 plants To begin chipping: per acre) results in more uniform and smaller corms—about ¥ Wash raw corms well in clean, cool water to remove all 3 ⁄4 pound each—close planting can also lead to faster trans- soil and roots. mission of leaf and corm diseases. Smaller corms mature ¥ Peel corms by hand or machine. Look for ways to re- faster, have less variability in their maturity stage, and are duce peeling loss. 3 less subject to corm rots. These are desirable characteris- ¥ Slice corms about ⁄64 inches thick. Some taro chip pro- tics for corms because these factors can lead to less pro- cessors let the slices soak in cool water to keep them cessing waste in conventional peeling machinery. For more from sticking together when cooking. Drain as much wa- information on taro production, see CTAHR’s Taro, Mauka ter as possible before cooking if this option is chosen. to Makai; A Taro Production and Business Guide for Ha- waii Growers. Frying the chips: ° Chips made from the bottom of the corm are rated ¥ Heat oil to 260Ð320 F. Use oils that do not affect the flavor better in appearance than those made from the top part. of the chips, such as sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, pea- This is because the bottom part is dryer (around 5 percent nut, canola, or soybean oil. Some oils, such as sunflower greater dry matter content than the top part). Research also oil, are more acceptable to the health-food industry. indicates that the level of nitrogen fertilizer significantly ¥ Fry the uncooked slices in the oil using one of the meth- affects corm dry matter. The more N, the lower the dry ods described below. Be especially careful when put- matter, and as little as 5 percent difference in fertilizer ap- ting in slices that have been soaking in water, because plication can affect chip quality and color. water can cause excessive spattering of oil. Taro chipping process Method 1: Place taro slices in the basket, starting with Whether you plan to make chips for home use or for sale, about 5-pound lots for a 40Ð50-pound (oil) capacity you should treat the cooking of the chips as if you were in fryer, 10-pound lots for an 80-pound capacity fryer, and business. It is recommended that you follow all Hawaii immerse in oil heated to at least 260¼F for 2 minutes. Department of Health regulations concerning processing You may need to modify the temperature for your par- safety. ticular taro. When the chips are placed in the fryer, the oil temperature will drop at first and then return to 260¼F. This method produces light-colored taro chips.
Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. H. Michael Harrington, Interim Director/Dean, Cooperative Extension Service/CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawaii without regard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or veteran status. CTAHR publications can be found on the Web site
Method 2: Add a 5-pound batch of slices to oil heated The equipment in the following list is generally scaled to 320¼F. The temperature will drop when the chips are for a hand-labor, small-output operation. Estimated prices added and then begin to rise again. Remove the chips are given for reference and do not include shipping. when the oil temperature reaches about 300¼F or when Corm washer, electrical, 120V ($4,200) the boiling has subsided. It takes about 2 minutes. Com- Peeler, electrical, 120V, 30Ð33 lb capacity ($4,100) pared to Method 1, this method produces crispier but Slicer, 12-inch knife: manual, gravity feed ($1,400) or slightly darker colored taro chips. electrical, 120V ($2,800) Fryer, capacity 40Ð50 lb of oil: gas ($1,600) or electri- You can use the same oil for multiple batches until the ¥ cal ($3,400); capacity 80 lb of oil: gas ($2,700) or elec- oil’s color darkens or it starts smoking. Clean oil pre- trical ($3,900) serves the “clean” taro taste in the chips, so change the Exhaust hood with grease trough and filter ($2,150) oil as often as you can afford to. Exhaust fan for single-story building ($975) During frying, keep the chips moving to avoid clumping. ¥ Digital scale ($695) Place hot chips on absorbent paper or a drip rack to drain ¥ Heat sealer ($200Ð$1,000) off excess oil, or spin them lightly in a centrifuge. If a centrifuge is used, layering the inside of the drum with You should shop for the best prices by calling local equip- disposable cheesecloth will help reduce cracking. ment retailers and restaurant supply businesses and con- sulting the Thomas Register, a collection of catalogs of Handling and packing the fried chips: equipment from all over the world for any type of business Remove chips that are dark or have other defects. ¥ (
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