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Reducing fat uptake by fried foods 
Reducing lipid intake by the population as a whole has been a goal of the UK government for many years. Oil in batters is a very visible source of dietary lipid, and as such, less oily products are likely to be seen by the consumer as desirable. The potential effectiveness of different hydrocolloid coating materials at reducing fat uptake in battered fish products was therefore explored. Battered fish fillets were coated with either water or one of a number of edible coatings (alginate, pectin, gellan gum, methyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose) and then fully fried. Alginate, pectin and gellan gum were also applied to fillets that were par-fried. In the par-frying trials, all three coatings, as well as water, markedly reduced the level of fat in the final product. The reduction seen with water suggests that the effect with the coatings was due to their water-binding ability. In fully fried products, the reduction in fat uptake was less marked, although an effect was still seen. It is likely that the longer frying times compromised the integrity of the coatings, emphasising the need to consider the requirements of both product and process when applying edible films. Contact: Sarah Chapman |