Preparation of dried chips from Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) tubers and analysis of their functional properties

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) has recently attracted interest as a cheap form of biomass. As a food, tubers of the plant have a characteristic flavour and functional ingredients. For convenience of consumption and to prevent degradation of the high molecular weight moiety of inulin, we examined methods of preparing dried tuber chips. Chips contained inulin, other dietary fibres, and a small amount of polyphenol. The high activity of polyphenol oxidase in raw tubers suggested that blanching for more than 2 min would be required to maintain the paleness of the tubers while drying. Dried tubers had considerable water-holding capacity at low temperatures and viscosity-lowering activity on potato starch paste while heating. These results suggest that Jerusalem artichoke tubers could be more widely utilised in the food industry as a functional modifier of other materials.