## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Changes in the Quality Parameters of Puffed Chips During Storage  
Puffed chips fried in rapeseed oil without additives had on average a higher value of the hardness parameter (230-393 N) compared to BW0.5 (187-369 N) and RW0.25 (202-335 N). The products became harder to break over time and had less brittleness and more elasticity. Similar results were reported for potato chips by ref. [28]. This phenomenon can be explained by the increase in water activity. Water activity affects the texture and sensory properties of heat-treated foods. Many foods require a certain water activity to achieve the desired sensorial properties. High water activity can cause softening, while low water activity can cause crispness [29]. The starch contained in the chips has been retrograded during storage [30]. In addition, coming into contact with moisture from the air promotes hydration. This process adversely affects the crispness of the chips. Probably during the hydration process, hydrogen bonds are formed between the starch and water molecules, leading to an increase in the elasticity of the chips [31], resulting in the need for greater force to break the product, i.e., the hardness increased. Water acts as a solvent during the retrogradation process helping starch molecules to migrate and recrystallize [32]. For chips fried in RO and BW0.5, on average the highest value of the hardness parameter, 393 N and 369 N, respectively, occurred at 6 weeks of storage. For products fried in RW0.25, this moment occurred on week 9, with the maximum force of 345 N. It can be assumed that in the case of chips fried at RO and BW0.5, after 6 weeks of storage, the hydration of starch reached such a level that the bonds were extended (Figure 1). The above statements can be supported by the results of the water activity level (Figure 2) and positive correlation analysis with a result of r = 0.9029 which were significantly important for \(p<\) 0.05. The highest value of this parameter was characterized by the puffed chips fried in rapeseed oil without additives (0.38-0.50) in comparison to BW0.5 (0.25-0.49) and RW0.25 (0.28-0.48). In addition, water activity increased in all products during storage. Figure 1: Changes in the textural properties of the chips during storage depending on the frying medium used. A, B; A, B; A, B; a, b—indicates homogeneous groups determined by [PERSON]’s test (\(p\)-value \(<\) 0.05) for different storage times. [PERSON] et al. [7] found that the hardness of instant noodles fried in soybean oil had a statistically lower value of breaking force compared to noodles fried on carnauba wax odeogel. However, in the research of [PERSON] et al. [4] deep-fried Indian snacks--Mathari in carnauba wax odeogel had a lower braking force value. Based on their research the surface of snacks fried in oil without wax addition had a higher number of pores which induce moisture evaporation from the product and influence the texture. Based on the above results, it can be concluded that the addition of waxes has a beneficial effect on reducing the absorption of water in the product, which, consequently, may affect the smaller changes in the texture of the chips during storage. The reason for such a phenomenon is the formation of a crystalline network of wax in the oil, resulting in an odeogel film on the surface of chips covering the pores and making their diameter smaller [7]. Changes in the Quality Parameters of the Lipid Fractions of Puffed Chips and the Fatty Acid Composition Profile During Storage  
During storage, changes in the quality parameters were observed in the lipid fraction of the fried chips. The acid value (AV) increased in all products but was at a low level throughout the storage period and they were only statistically significant for chips fried in BW0.5. Products fried in mediums with waxes had a higher AV than RO on average. These changes over the 9 weeks of storage were the least in chips fried in RW0.25 (Table 1).