Capítulo de libro: Understanding oil absorption during deep-fat frying.

Abstract

One of the most important quality parameters of fried food is the amount of fat absorbed during the process, which undermines recent consumer trends towards healthier food and low fat products. In order to obtain a product with a low fat content it is essential to understand the mechanisms involved during the frying process, so that oil migration into the structure can be minimized. To contribute to get such an understanding, this chapter briefly describes the frying process from technological and scientific perspectives. First, it gives a general overview of the frying process and describes most important quality attributes of fried food. Thereafter, it centers on key nutritional aspects, particularly on the effect of excessive oil consumption on human health, oil degradation and toxic compounds generation in the fried food. Finally, this chapter discusses most important factors affecting oil absorption, oil absorption kinetics and the different strategies that may be adopted to decrease oil content.