Future Super Bowl parties might feature far healthier snacks if vacuum frying catches on in the United States. The technique, which is already used in Asia for items such as seaweed snacks, uses a lower temperature than conventionally fried foods. Vacuum frying reduces the amount of oil the food absorbs when compared to traditional frying methods; consequently, vacuum-fried foods retain more nutrients.

Journal of Food Science

Researchers at the Pontificia Universidad Catolia in Chile published a study on the health benefits of vacuum frying in the January 19 Journal of Food Science. Pedro Bouchon, a co-author of the paper, says that vacuum-fried potato chips contain 50 percent less oil than conventionally fried potato chips, while vacuum-fried apples contain 25 percent less oil than apples fried using traditional methods.

What’s more, the foods Bouchon prepared using vacuum-frying techniques also retained more nutrients than their conventionally fried counterparts. The vacuum-fried potatoes, for example, kept 95 percent of their vitamin C; fried potato chips typically only retain about 50 percent of their vitamin C.

While no dietitian would encourage a diet wholly comprised of fried foods, vacuum frying may hold the key to unlocking healthier versions of staple junk-food snacks.

(By Marissa Brassfield for CalorieLab)