Edible Coatings for Reducing Oil Uptake in Production of Akara (Deep-Fat Frying of Cowpea Paste)

Abstract

Recent trendr in food processing have emphasized the development and improvement of reduced fat foods. l l e objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of edible coatings formulated from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, corn zein, and amylose in restricting oil absorption during deepfat frying of akara, a traditional West Afncan food made from whipped cowpea paste. Effectiveness of two methods of coating application (spraying and dipping) were examined. Portioned balls of akara paste were partially-fned in peanut oil for 100 s at 193C. Coatings were applied, dried, and the product was frozen at -I8C. ABer thawing, samples were finish fned at 166C to an internal temperalure of 70C. Total moisture content of all coated samples was significantly higher than the control. Coated akara absorbed signijicantly less oil than the control for both sprayed and dipped applications. For both applications, the coated samples appeared to be soggy and less brown when compared to the control samples.'Please send correspondence to Manjeet S. Chinnan, Professor,

Development and application of soy-protein films to reduce fat intake in deep-fried foods

“…Similarly, Chinnan et al 6 reported that the coated chicken strips with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) had the lowest fat content (23%) and the highest moisture (36%) in the surface layers. According to Huse et al, 5 the methylcellulose coating of akara balls reduced the total fat content by 49% during frying in peanut oil for 100 s at 193°C.…”

“…Other researchers 4,5 also demonstrated the effectiveness of edible coatings for low-fat starchy and cowpea products. Coated samples were soggy and less brown compared to uncoated samples possibly due to the non-optimization of the coatings applied.…”

Comparison of the deep frying process in coated and uncoated dough systems

“…Cellulose derivatives, including methylcellulose (MC) and hydroxypropyl-methylcellulose (HPMC) exhibit thermogelation; when suspensions are heated they form a gel that reverts below the gelation temperature, and the original suspension viscosity is recovered. Mallikarjunan, Chinnan, Balasubramaniam, and Phillips (1997) and Huse, Mallikarjunan, Chinnan, Hung, and Phillips (1998) demonstrated the effectiveness of various edible coatings in reducing oil absorption in starchy products.…”

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“…Modification in the surface coatings may be carried out by the application of different edible coating which can be transparent or thick like batter [6]. In doing so, uniform coating configuration on the surface is imperative to bound mass transfer during processing [20]. Garmakhany et al [21] evaluated quality attributes of potato chips in response to different hydrocolloid applications.…”