Methylcellulose coatings applied to reduce oil uptake in fried products

Reducing fat content of fried foods by application of coatings is an alternative solution to comply with both health concerns and consumer preferences. The objective of the present work was to analyse the effect of coating formulation on the quantity and composition of oil-uptake by potato strips and dough discs, and the quality of frying oil after several frying batches. The effect of coating composition showed that the most efficient formulations were 1% methylcellulose (MC) and 0.5% sorbitol for fried potatoes and 1% MC and 0.75% sorbitol for dough discs. The most effective coating formulations reduced oil uptake by 35-40%, depending on the product. The increase in water content was 6.3% and 25.7% for potato strips and dough discs, respectively. Although coatings were effective barriers to reduce oil uptake in fried products, they did not modify oil composition as detected by HPLC analysis. Oil stability of frying oils, evaluated by total polar compounds and acidity, was within the allowed limits established by the Argentine Food Code (acidity <0.6 mg KOH/g oil).