Combination of hot air drying and deep‐fat frying to reduce the oil content in chicken nuggets

Abstract

SummaryThe combination of hot air drying and frying to reduce oil uptake in chicken nuggets was analysed. Two air velocities (2 and 4 m s−1) and two dry bulb temperatures (44 and 61 °C) were employed in the drying process, as a treatment before or after deep‐fat frying at 160 °C for 90 s in fresh soybean oil. The lowest fat content was obtained by frying followed of drying at 61 °C with air velocity of 2 m s−1. When drying was applied before frying, mass transfer (moisture loss) during the drying process was modelled according to Fick’s second law; diffusion coefficients ranged between 1.03 and 3.33 × 10−6 m2 s−1. When drying was applied after frying, a constant rate period was observed during drying process, with velocities between 0.002 and 0.02 kgwater/kgdry solids·min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed to observe differences in the topography of chicken nuggets obtained from frying or the combination of frying and drying.