Is there such a thing as a healthy potato chip? Swetha Sivakumar explains

Low-Fat Chips: Most of the oil that is on the surface of a chip is absorbed during the cooling stages after it has been fried. So using a centrifuge to spin the oil off the chip after frying is one technique used to make reduced-fat chips. You can achieve a 40% reduction in oil using this method. The only disadvantage is that these chips are harder in texture. But overall, this is a really simple and effective approach. Are these chips “healthy”. Not really. Are they healthier? Sure.

Fat-Free Chips: In 1998, Lays created fat-free chips by frying them in a fat substitute called olestra, a synthetic fat that cannot be digested or absorbed by the body. This allowed a chips packet that normally contained 150 calories to be made with only 75 calories. Unfortunately, olestra caused severe cramps and dietary distress, causing sales to quickly drop. Many countries have since banned the use of the substance in food.

Reduced-Salt Chips: Research has found that consumers do not notice reductions of up to 20% in salt levels. So a simple approach is to just reduce the salt. To reduce salt levels even further than 20%, companies use a combination of techniques. One is to mix potassium chloride and sodium chloride to achieve a salty taste with up to 40% reduced sodium levels. Too much potassium chloride can lead to bitterness, however, thus ruling out a 100% replacement. Another technique is to use umami-based flavour enhancers such as MSG and yeast extracts to create additional flavour with a 50% reduction in salt. The downside with this approach is that consumers will find additives on the ingredients label. This may deter some those looking for clean-label products.