At 175 C frying temperature, pressure profiles of 75 g/100 g initial moisture content control nuggets (Fig. 6), showed an initial rise above the ambient value (0 kPa gage pressure) for 94 s and gradually decreased to negative values during the frying process (until the 240th s). The pressure continued to decrease during the post-frying cooling period (until the 480th s) up to 5.1 kPa until the 387th s and started to rise back to 0 kPa. Highest magnitude of positive pressure was 0.166 kPa at the 42nd s. In the 65 g/100 g initial moisture content control nuggets (Fig. 7), no initial rise of pressure above the ambient value was observed. Negative pressure was observed after the 1st s of frying and during the whole frying
process. The pressure continued to decrease during the post-frying cooling period up to 5.7 kPa till 476th s and started to rise back to 0 kPa. In the 55 g/100 g initial moisture content (Fig. 8) control nuggets, negative pressure was observed during the whole frying process with no initial rise above 0 kPa. The pressure continued to decrease during the post frying cooling period up to 19.21 kPa at 430th s and started to rise back to 0 kPa thereafter.