Changes in food caused by deep fat frying--a review

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Deep-fat frying is a prevalent, cost-effective industrial cooking method.
• It involves high-temperature oil-food interactions, causing significant food modification.
• This process yields desirable textures and flavors but also leads to compound degradation and potential toxin formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review existing literature on the physical and chemical changes in food during deep-fat frying.
• To identify key transformations, including nutrient loss and the development of undesirable compounds.
• To highlight areas where further research is needed to fully characterize frying-induced food alterations.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific publications.
• Analysis of studies focusing on oil-food interactions at high temperatures.
• Synthesis of findings on starch gelatinization, protein denaturation, and Maillard reactions.

Main Results:

• Frying causes significant physical changes like dehydration and chemical alterations.
• Key reactions include starch gelatinization, protein denaturation, and Maillard browning.
• Loss of volatile and non-volatile food compounds occurs, alongside the formation of oxidized byproducts in oil.

Conclusions:

• Deep-fat frying induces complex changes in food composition and quality.
• Understanding these transformations is crucial for food safety and nutritional quality.
• Further research is required to identify and quantify all frying-induced compounds.