4. Conclusion
The present study clearly demonstrates that the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of potatoes were affected by different cooking methods. Among the different cooking methods tested, steaming and microwaving were observed to retain the greatest amounts of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity, making these methods preferable for cooking potatoes from a health-promotion point of view (Palermo et al., 2014). However, the frying methods caused severe losses of vitamin C and phytochemicals but did not appreciably alter the antioxidant activity, likely due to the by-products of the Maillard reactions. Among the three frying methods, stir-frying caused the lowest losses of vitamin C and selected phytochemicals, whereas air-frying retained the maximum mean level of antioxidant activity. Moreover, air-frying could yield similar sensory characteristics at a lower oil content compared with other frying methods and may thus be an alternative cooking method for potato chips.