Crispness Enhancement Using Edible Coatings in Breaded Fried Foods

摘要

In the U.S. alone, billions of pounds of fried foods are consumed annually. The fast-food industry is trying to provide crispier fried foods to their consumers. Extending the crispness under a heat-warmer would enhance the cost effectiveness in producing fried foods. Edible film coatings have been considered by the industry to limit oil uptake during frying. Limited research work has been conducted to study the effect of these coatings on the crispness of breaded fried foods. The overall goal of this study was to determine the effect of edible coatings on the crispness of deep-fat fried foods. The specific objectives were to study the effect of incorporating the edible film ingredients (HPMC or WPI) either in the predust or in the batter of the fried chicken nuggets. The par-fried samples were obtained from a local poultry processor and were finish fried at 175°C and 163 kPa in a restaurant-type pressure fryer. The samples were placed under a heat lamp and removed after 15 min. Moisture and fat content from the crust and core were determined. Ultrasonic parameters were evaluated to quantify crispness. Sensory attributes (crispness, oiliness, juiciness) were obtained using an untrained panel test. The core moisture content of the coated samples was significantly more than that found in the core of the uncoated samples and the crust fat content of the coated samples was significantly less than that of the uncoated samples. The ultrasonic velocity ranged from 400 to 700 m/sec with higher velocity values for coated samples. As higher ultrasonic-velocity corresponds to higher sensory crispness, coated samples retained the crispness in the chicken nuggets. It was concluded that at the 5% error level (α=0.05), there were no significant differences in the overall sample means from sensory analysis as it related to crispness, juiciness, oiliness and flavor among the three tested samples. Although no statistical differences were found among the samples, panelists were willing to pay extra money for samples fried using nitrogen gas.