Synergistic effects of ultrasound and microwave on the pumpkin slices qualities during ultrasound-assisted microwave vacuum frying

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the ultrasound-assisted microwave vacuum frying (USMVF) technology on the quality parameters of pumpkin slices. Pumpkin slices fried for 15 min by different frying methods, such as USMVF, microwave-assisted vacuum frying (MVF), and vacuum frying (VF), were compared in terms of parameters such as moisture content, oil content, color, texture, and microstructure. During the frying process, the effect of microwave powers (600 W, 800 W, and 1,000 W) and ultrasound powers (0 W, 300 W, and 600 W) was evaluated and compared with the conventional VF. The results showed that the application of ultrasound lowered the moisture content significantly (