Adhesion of rice flour-based batter to chicken drumsticks evaluated by laser scanning confocal microscopy and texture analysis

Application of batter coating for modulating oil, texture and structure of fried foods: A review

Food surface modulation by batter coating is a promising approach to reduce the presence of oil in fried products. This review critically discussed the functionalities, mechanism of actions, rheology, ingredients of formulation, mathematical modeling of the process, cooking method, safety and regulatory aspects, physicochemical, thermal-microstructural characterization of batter coatings, and future research directions. Enormous list of ingredients could be used in preparation of oil-reducing viscoelastic batter coating that includes mostly flours, hydrocolloids, and starches. Bioactive compounds, enzymes, minerals, herbal extracts, baking agents, sugar alcohols, etc. could be incorporated in batter formulation to affect the taste and texture of coated products. Overall mass-transfer process of batter-coated fried foods could be characterized by several mathematical models (Fick, Newton, Page, Henderson & Pabis, modified Page, Arrhenius). Surface and internal microstructural characterization techniques, thermal probing, physicochemical characterization techniques and artificial intelligence can characterize different functionalities of batter coatings including oil reduction and textural evolution.

Influence of surfactants and proteins on the properties of wet edible calcium alginate meat coatings

Calcium alginate structures are of interest as replacers for natural casings due to their high availability, biodegradability and low price. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of oil, surfactants and proteins (pea and collagen) on the water transfer, mechanical and microstructural properties of the wet calcium alginate films. The addition of oil and surfactants tended to reduce the water permeance and the weight loss rate, reaching values between those shown by natural and collagen artificial casings. The addition of proteins did not improve the adherence of the films and it decreased the maximum force of the film at puncture test, which was even lower with the presence of the surfactant E475. The TEM micrographs showed that the differences in mechanical properties are mainly related to the differences in the compaction of the microstructure. Wet alginate films with E475 are envisaged as a substitute of natural and collagen artificial casings in the stuffed meat products industry.

Physicochemical and microbiological properties of selected rice flour-based batters for fried chicken drumsticks

Rice flour-based batter (RFBB) formulations for chicken drumstick coating were developed as an alternative for traditional wheat flour-based batter (WFBB). Physicochemical properties and storage stability of selected RFBB were evaluated and compared to WFBB. Batter pickup of RFBB formulated in combination with oxidized corn starch and methylcellulose (MC) was not significantly different from that of WFBB. In contrast, batters with only rice and corn flour (60:40% flour weight) exhibited significantly higher pickup. Rice flour batter with 15% oxidized corn starch had the lowest batter pickup. All RFBB exhibited (P < 0.05) lower oil absorption than WFBB. The TBA values of RFBB and WFBB increased (P < 0.05) with increased frozen storage time at -40 C for 90 d. The RFBB with MC exhibited the lowest TBA values, whereas WFBB had the highest values. Microstructural analysis revealed that freezing caused structural deterioration of all batters, but the RFBB with MC exhibited less freezing tolerance than other samples. The total plate counts of immediately fried or frozen fried chicken stored for 90 d were less than 1 log cfu/g sample. The RFBB with 5% oxidized corn starch and MC can replace WFBB on fried drumsticks. Additionally, RFBB results in a healthier product due to lower fat absorption.