ARS | Publication request: Effect of enzymatic treatments on the rheological and oil-resisting properties of wheat flour-based frying batters

Submitted to: Journal of Food Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 11, 2012
Publication Date: October 23, 2012
Citation: Jeon, S., Lim, J., Inglett, G.E., Lee, S. 2013. Effect of enzymatic treatments on the rheological and oil-resisting properties of wheat flour-based frying batters. Journal of Food Engineering. 115:215-219.

Interpretive Summary: A new enzymatic approach was introduced to reduce the oil uptake of batter-coated fried foods. Cross-linking and cell wall-degrading enzymes were incorporated into the formulation of wheat flour-based frying batters and their rheological/oil-resisting effects were evaluated. Viscoelastic results showed that the use of transglutaminase and viscozyme enzymes led to the improvement of the elastic and viscous characteristics of frying batters. The incorporation of transglutaminase reduced the oil uptake of batters during frying, by 20%, thus contributing to the enhancement of oil-barrier property. These results will benefit health concerned consumers and batter processors by providing a method to decrease the oil uptake of batters during frying so consumers will consume less fat in their diet.

Technical Abstract: A new enzymatic approach was introduced to reduce the oil uptake of batter-coated fried foods. Cross-linking (transglutaminase) and cell wall-degrading (viscozyme) enzymes were incorporated into the formulation of wheat flour-based frying batters and their rheological/oil-resisting effects were evaluated. The transglutaminase treatment increased the pasting viscosities of wheat flour whereas viscozyme distinctly reduced these properties. The batters treated with transglutaminase exhibited the highest steady-shear viscosity, followed by the control and viscozyme-treated samples. Dynamic viscoelastic results showed that transglutaminase improved the elastic properties of frying batters while their viscous characteristics became more dominant when viscozyme was used. These rheological features were favorably correlated with the adhesive properties of batters. During frying, the moisture loss of frying batters was retarded by transglutaminase. The incorporation of transglutaminase reduced the oil uptake of frying batters by 19.6%, thus contributing to the enhancement of the oil-barrier property.