# The Effect of Edible Coatings on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Cassava Chips
## 3 Results
### Moisture Loss and Fat Absorption  
Table 3 shows the multifactorial ANOVA analysis of variance for cassava chips processed with different coatings, frying times, and temperatures. In general, all factors had significant statistical differences for moisture loss (\(p<0.05\)). Analyzing the coating type showed a statistically significant effect (\(p<0.05\)) on the cassava chips; that is, the coating type had an influence on this parameter. The same phenomenon was observed at different temperatures (\(p<0.05\)). Time, on the other hand, did not present statistical differences at 120 and 180 s; that is, the additional time did not affect the increase in the loss of this parameter. Significant statistical differences (\(p<0.05\)) were only observed with the shortest process time (60 s), rather than the other two times (120 and 180 s). During the chip frying, statistical differences were observed at 60 s for the control sample at all temperatures and at 180 s for the control and whey protein-coated chips (\(p<0.05\)). In the first 60 s of processing time, no statistical differences were observed at temperatures of 160 \({}^{\circ}\)C 180 \({}^{\circ}\)C. The same was observed at 120 s in the pectin-coated chips and the control chips; on the other hand, at 180 s, statistical differences were observed in the control sample and the whey protein-coated chips (\(p<0.05\)). When comparing the uncoated fried samples, the pectin coating treatment decreased the moisture loss of the fried chips by 44.55% at 180 \({}^{\circ}\)C and 60 s (Figure 1). The differences in fat and moisture content between the uncoated (control) and coated fried samples were possibly due to the replacement of water by oil after the evaporation process during frying [35]. Evaporation of water by heat transfer during a frying process creates empty spaces in the food that are filled with oil, increasing the oil content of the fried food [36]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Factor**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{\(p\)**-Value**} & **Contrast** & **+/- Limits** & **Difference** \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Type of coating} & Control b  & C–P & 2.05573 & \(-18.2856\)* \\  & Pectin a  & 0.0000 & C–WP & 2.05573 & \(4.4033\)* \\  & Whey protein c  & P–WP & 2.05573 & \(22.6889\)* \\  & 60 a  & & 60–120 & \(2.18411\) & \(6.06\)* \\ Time (s) & 120 b  & 0.000 & 60–180 & \(2.18411\) & \(7.93444\)* \\  & 180 b  & & 120–180 & \(2.18411\) & \(1.87444\) \\  & 140 a  & & 140–160 & \(2.86906\) & \(9.78889\)* \\ Temperature (c) & 160 b  & 0.000 & 140–180 & \(2.86906\) & \(14.1189\)* \\  & 180 c  & & 160–180 & \(2.86906\) & \(4.33\)* \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Influence of coating type, time, and temperature on moisture loss of cassava chips. These results can be attributed to the fact that pectins in the outer layer of the samples possibly acted as a protective barrier that closed the pores of the product and prevented water from escaping as steam during the heat treatment, thus preventing the absorption of oil. These results are very important since they can help keep products in good condition in terms of moisture and oil. It is interesting to note that the samples coated with whey protein had a 452% higher oil content than the samples coated with pectin and fried at 160 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 60 s (Figure 2), which indicates that this coating was not effective in preventing the product from absorbing oil during and after the immersion frying process. Figure 1: Moisture loss during frying of cassava chips at different temperatures and times: The first column indicates the control sample (C), the second column indicates that pectin (P) was used, and the third column indicates that whey protein (WP) was used. Different letters indicate statistical differences (\(p<0.05\)) for the same frying time at different temperatures.