FAT ABSORPTION KINETICS AND SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF FRIED BATTER COATED SYSTEMS

面糊包裹的食物在北美被广泛食用，尽管人们担心高脂肪饮食。这是重要的发展所需的知识，客观生产面糊涂层产品与低脂肪含量。文献综述表明，在油炸过程中，核心层和面糊层如何相互作用导致脂肪吸收的信息非常有限。此外，面糊涂层表面特性的变化可以用来评估面糊在油炸过程中的变化。拟制研究项目的目标包括表征油炸过程中模型产品核心层和面糊涂层之间的脂肪和水分传递相互作用；研究使用不同面粉和配料配制面糊的微观结构变化和脂肪吸收；考察面糊配方和预热对面糊系统中不同深度剖面空间化学分布的影响；并对面糊的吸脂率、面糊层表面粗糙度与面糊配方中使用的不同成分之间的关系进行了评价。一种新的电池装置可以在更好地控制层的大小和厚度的情况下生产可复制的面糊涂层，将在研究中使用。在面糊涂层下，肉类模拟凝胶模型将作为核心产品。将面糊层以这样的方式加热，分离加热和水分损失，以评估预热和初始减湿对脂肪吸收的单独作用。微观结构的变化将通过测量孔隙度和孔径分布来评估。共聚焦扫描激光显微镜（CSLM）和FTIR显微光谱技术将分别用于观察油炸产品中脂肪、淀粉和蛋白质的空间网络。表面粗糙度将使用表面边缘图像的分形分析来测量。所提出的研究将对面包涂层产品在深油炸过程中的微观结构和脂肪吸收模式提供新的知识。优化面糊配方对降低油炸食品中脂肪的吸收具有重要意义。高素质人员（HQP）将接受项目培训。

Batter coated foods are widely consumed in North America although there are concerns about high fat diets. It is important to develop the knowledge required for objective production of batter coated products with lower fat contents. Review of literature showed that there is very limited information available on how the core and batter coat layers interact during frying leading to fat absorption. Further, changes in the surface characteristics of the batter coating could be used to evaluate changes in batters during deep-fat frying. The goals of the proposed research project include to characterize fat and moisture transfer interactions between the core layer and batter coating in a model product during frying; study microstructural changes and fat uptake in batters formulated using different flours and ingredients; examine the influence of batter formulations and pre-heating on spatial chemical distributions at different depth profiles in a batter systems; and assess the relationship between fat absorption, surface roughness of batter layer and the different ingredients used in the batter formulation. A new cell device which allows production of reproducible batter coating with better control on the size and thickness of the layer will be used in the study. Meat analog gel model will be used as the core product under the batter coating. The batter layer will be heated in such ways to isolate heating and moisture loss in order to evaluate the separate roles of preheating and initial moisture reduction on fat absorption. Microstructural changes will be assessed by measuring porosity and pore size distributions using pycnometry and porosimetry techniques. The confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) and FTIR microspectroscopy techniques will be used separately to visualize spatial fat, starch and protein networks in fried products. Surface roughness will be measured using fractal analysis of surface edge images. The proposed research will develop new knowledge on microstructures and fat absorption patterns in bread coated products during deep-fat frying. It will be vital for optimization of batter formulation for reduced fat absorption in breaded fried foods. Highly qualified personnel (HQP) will be trained on the project.