Mitigating quality degradation of deep-fat fried foods
A recent work focuses on enhancing the oxidative stability, physicochemical and sensory quality of deep-fat fried chicken nuggets using thyme essential oil-loaded oleogel coatings.
Deep-fat fried foods are a popular choice in many parts of the world. However, they often absorb excessive amounts of oil during frying, leading to accelerated lipid oxidation and reduced shelf life. A new study introduces an innovative approach by developing edible coatings from oleogels (OGC) loaded with thyme essential oil (TEO) at varying concentrations (0 %, 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 % v/v). Uncoated samples were also included as controls to assess the effect of the coating on chicken nuggets. The aim was to explore their effectiveness in enhancing the physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of deep-fat fried chicken nuggets.
Great potential for the food industry
Results indicated that the incorporation of TEO effectively reduced coating pickup in coated samples. Furthermore, these oleogel-based coatings significantly minimised moisture loss and fat uptake in chicken nuggets. Most notably, increasing TEO concentration led to a remarkable two-fold reduction in peroxide values compared to the control. Importantly, sensory analysis revealed that the addition of TEO to the coating does not compromise the overall sensory quality of the fried products. The study suggests promising future applications of OGC and TEO blends in mitigating quality degradation in deep-fat fried foods. Accroding to the researchers, these findings hold great potential for the food industry, offering a pathway to healthier, longer-lasting fried products with enhanced sensory appeal.
The study has been publihed in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 186, January 2024.
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