Reduction of oil uptake of fried food by coatings: A review

Fried food is popular because of its attractive aroma, colour and taste. However, its high oil content may cause cardiovascular diseases, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Therefore, it is of great significance to reduce the oil uptake of fried food. It is found that water-oil replacement, surfactant theory and the cooling-phase effect are the main mechanisms of oil uptake in fried food. According to these mechanisms, improving the frying technology, changing the frying medium and coating treatment can reduce the amount of oil in fried foods. Among these methods, coating treatment is the most common method to reduce the oil content. Protein coatings usually have better performance than polysaccharide coatings. The performance of protein coatings depends on the type of food and protein. In addition, oil resistance of protein coatings can be improved by adding the plasticiser, combination with other components and cross-linking treatment.