Protective effect of chitosan on acrylamide formation in model and batter systems

Improving the physicochemical quality and oxidative stability of deep-fried pork meatballs by coating with chitosan grafted gallic acid

The objective of this research was to examine the effectiveness of chitosan (CH)-gallic acid (GA) conjugate (CH-g-GA) as an edible coating in improving the physicochemical properties and oxidative stability of deep-fat fried pork meatballs. The meatballs were coated with either CH alone, a combination of CH and GA, or CH-g-GA before being fried at 180 °C for 5 min. The viscosity of the coating solutions influenced the amount of coating picked up by the meatballs, with higher viscosity coatings showing increased pickup. The application of chitosan-based coatings in deep-fried meatballs resulted in a decrease in moisture loss and oil uptake, as well as decreased b* values and hardness, while maintaining consistent cooking yield. Furthermore, compared to the control group, the chitosan-based coatings treatment significantly increased the ratio of immobilized water and decreased the ratio of free water (P < 0.05), as well as effectively inhibited lipid oxidation in deep-fried meatballs (P < 0.05). Among the different coatings tested, CH-g-GA coating exhibited the highest effectiveness. The research findings suggest that the CH-g-GA edible coating has significant potential in enhancing the overall quality of deep-fried meatballs.

Comparative effects of pectin and hydrolyzed pectin coating as pre-frying treatments on acrylamide formation in potato chips

This study aimed to compare the effects of pectin and hydrolyzed pectin coating as pre-frying treatments on acrylamide content and quality characteristics of fried potato chips. The hydrolyzed pectin with molecular weight (Mw) of 8.81 ± 0.49 kDa was obtained through partial degradation of pectin (Mw: 747.57 ± 6.73 kDa) using pectinase. Results showed that both pectin and hydrolyzed pectin coating significantly inhibited acrylamide formation and inhibition rates exceeded 90 %. Hydrolyzed pectin had stronger inhibitory activity against acrylamide formation than pectin, especially when the concentration of hydrolyzed pectin was >2 %, its inhibitory rate exceeded 95 %. Compared to pectin coating, hydrolyzed pectin coating endow fried potato chips with smaller browning, higher crispness, less moisture but higher oil content. Overall, hydrolyzed pectin had better application prospects than pectin in inhibiting acrylamide formation of fried potato chips.

Effect of Oat Fiber Preparations with Different Contents of β-Glucan on the Formation of Acrylamide in Dietary Bread (Rusks)

In the literature, there are few reports indicating hydrocolloids as a factor capable of reducing the amount of acrylamide formed in food. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the ability of soluble oat fiber to reduce the amount of acrylamide formed in the process of obtaining rusks. The effect of the concentration of β-glucans in oat fiber preparations at 20% and 30% and the amount of preparations used at 10%, 15%, and 20% was investigated. On the basis of the obtained test results, it was shown that the most optimal concentration of oat fiber preparation in rusks recipe is at 15%, regardless of the content of β-glucan in it. This concentration makes it possible to reduce the amount of acrylamide formed in baked goods and rusks by ~70% and ~60%, respectively, while maintaining the desired physical and chemical properties of the product. In addition, it was shown that the browning index and water activity strongly correlate with the content of acrylamide in rusks, which makes them good markers of this compound in rusks. The use of hydrocolloids in the form of oat fiber preparations with different contents of β-glucan as a tool for reducing the amount of acrylamide in rusks, at the same time, offers the possibility of enriching these products with a soluble dietary fiber with health properties.

Dual functional roles of nutritional additives in nutritional fortification and safety of thermally processed food: Potential, limitations, and perspectives

The Maillard reaction (MR) has been established to be a paramount contributor to the characteristic sensory property of thermally processed food products. Meanwhile, MR also gives rise to myriads of harmful byproducts (HMPs) (e.g., advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and acrylamide). Nutritional additives have attracted increasing attention in recent years owing to their potential to simultaneously improve nutritional quality and attenuate HMP formation. In this manuscript, a brief overview of various nutritional additives (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, dietary fibers, and miscellaneous micronutrients) in heat-processed food is provided, followed by a summary of the formation mechanisms of AGEs and acrylamide highlighting the potential crosstalk between them. The main body of the manuscript is on the capability of nutritional additives to modulate AGE and acrylamide formation besides their traditional roles as nutritional enhancers. Finally, limitations/concerns associated with their use to attenuate dietary exposure to HMPs and future perspectives are discussed. Literature data support that through careful control of the addition levels, certain nutritional additives possess promising potential for simultaneous improvement of nutritional value and reduction of AGE and acrylamide content via multiple action mechanisms. Nonetheless, there are some major concerns that may limit their wide applications for achieving such dual functions, including influence on sensory properties of food products, potential overestimation of nutrition enhancement, and introduction of hazardous alternative reaction products or derivatives. These could be overcome through comprehensive assay of dose-response relationships and systematic evaluation of the diverse combinations from the same and/or different categories of nutritional additives to establish synergistic mixtures.

Application of cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings for quality and safety of deep-fried foods

Excessive oil uptake and formation of carcinogens, such as acrylamide (AA), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), during deep-frying are a potential threat for food quality and safety. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have been widely applied to deep-fried foods for reduction of oil uptake because of their barrier property to limit oil ingress, and their apparent inhibition of AA formation. Cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings have low negative impacts on sensory attributes of fried foods and are low cost, nontoxic, and nonallergenic. They also show great potential for reducing HCAs and PAHs in fried foods. The incorporation of nanoparticles improves mechanical and barrier properties of cellulose and chitosan coatings, which may also contribute to reducing carcinogens derived from deep-frying. Considering the potential for positive health outcomes, cellulose- and chitosan-based edible coatings could be a valuable method for the food industry to improve the quality and safety of deep-fried foods.

Effects of Methyl Cellulose and Soybean Protein Isolate Coating on Amount of Oil and Chemical Hazards in Chinese Fried Dough Cake

ABSTRACT

Fat-related diseases and chemical hazards produced during the frying process pose a major threat to human health. Coatings have been used as a practical method to reduce the amount of oil and chemical hazards associated with fried foods. Methyl cellulose (MC) and soy protein isolate were used as coating materials to pretreat Chinese fried dough cake (CFDC) before frying. The 1.5% MC concentration was the best choice for coating to simultaneously lower oil and chemical hazards in CFDC. The CFDC prepared using 1.5% MC had 11.3% oil, 73.70 μg/kg acrylamide, 0.15 mg KOH/100 kg acid, 8.54 mmol/kg peroxide, p-anisidine value of 6.36, 0.36 μg/g malondialdehyde, 0.13 μg/g 4-hydroxy-2-(E)-hexenal (HHE), 0.51 μg/g 4-hydroxy-2-(E)-nonenal (HNE), and 4,272 μg/kg glycidyl ester. In contrast, the uncoated CFDC had 19.2% oil, 117.55 μg/kg acrylamide, 0.25 mg KOH/100 kg acid, 14.40 mmol/kg peroxide, p-anisidine value of 9.76, 0.63 μg/g malondialdehyde, 0.23 μg/g HHE, 0.86 μg/g HNE, and 5,758 μg/kg glycidyl ester. MC and soy protein isolate enhanced the oil barrier of the coating film, which effectively reduced the heat transfer coefficients, oil transfer, oil oxidation, and chemical hazards in the CFDC. Our work on this edible coating contributes to methods for control of oil and chemical hazards in fried foods.

HIGHLIGHTS

Impact of Chitosan-Genipin Films on Volatile Profile of Wine along Storage

Chitosan-genipin films have been proposed for preservation of white wine, maintaining their varietal key odorants and organoleptic characteristics of sulfur dioxide treated wines. Nevertheless, these wines showed aroma notes that slightly distinguish them. It is possible that during the contact of films with wine for at least 2 months, after fermentation and prior to bottling, interactions or chemical reactions are promoted. In this work, wine model solutions with volatile compounds in contact with chitosan-genipin films were performed to evaluate their evolution along time. To complement these analyses, the volatile compounds of white and red wines kept in contact with chitosan-genipin films during 2 and 8 months were also studied. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that the contact of chitosan-genipin films with both white and red wines tend to retain long carbon chain volatile compounds, such as ethyl hexanoate and octan-3-one. It also promoted the formation of Maillard reaction products, such as furfural by dehydration of pentoses and Strecker aldehydes, such as 3-methylbutanal and phenylacetaldehyde, by degradation of amino acids. This study reveals that the use of chitosan-genipin films for wine preservation is also able to promote the formation of compounds that can modulate the wines aroma, maintaining the varietal notes.

Inhibitory effect of polysaccharides on acrylamide formation in chemical and food model systems

The inhibitory effect of three polysaccharides (alginate, pectin and chitosan) on acrylamide formation was investigated in chemical and fried potato food model systems, under two heating regimes (heating block and microwave). In the chemical system, acrylamide formation followed a second order reaction kinetic behaviour. Activation energies (Ea) were 17.85 and 110.78 kJ/mol for conventional and microwave heating respectively. Acrylamide content was highest at 180 °C after 60 min conventional heating (27.88 ng/ml) and 3.5 fold higher after microwave heating for 60 s (800 W, 98.02 ng/ml). Alginate (0.3% w/v) and pectin (0.2% w/v) solutions efficiently inhibited acrylamide formation by 65% and 56% respectively under conventional heating, and 36% and 30% respectively under microwave heating. Coating potatoes with alginate, pectin and chitosan (1% w/v) prior to frying dramatically inhibited acrylamide formation by 54%, 51% and 41% respectively. However only alginate and pectin slightly reduced acrylamide by 5% in the microwave.

Mitigation effect of sodium alginate on acrylamide formation in fried potato chips system based on response surface methodology

Acrylamide is a known neurotoxin and probable carcinogen in humans. Researchers reported that foods rich in carbohydrates could generate high amounts of acrylamide at high temperatures. In recent years, hydrocolloids are applied to reduce acrylamide in thermally processed foods and the effect has been well proved. The present work was to investigate the effect of sodium alginate as the coating agent on acrylamide formation in fried potato chips by a Box-Behnken design. The optimized processing conditions were: sodium alginate at the concentration of 1.34%, frying time at 4.38 min, and frying temperature at 179 °C. The corresponding inhibition rate of acrylamide was 76.59%. Compared to the control group, the oil absorption of coating chips decreased significantly, whereas the addition of sodium alginate did not affect the quality of potato chips. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that coating with sodium alginate could effectively prevent oil uptake, which might contribute to acrylamide mitigation. Overall, sodium alginate significantly mitigated acrylamide formation in fried potato chips. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Sodium alginate could significantly reduce acrylamide formation in fried potato chips systems. Sodium alginate may therefore be a new mitigation strategy for acrylamide formation in commercial fried foods without prejudice to main quality properties valued by consumers.

Effect of the Addition of Soluble Dietary Fiber and Green Tea Polyphenols on Acrylamide Formation and In Vitro Starch Digestibility in Baked Starchy Matrices

Starch digestibility may be affected by food microstructural changes, as well as by specific interactions with some biomolecules, such as soluble dietary fibers (SDFs). It is well-known that acrylamide (AA) is a toxic and potentially carcinogenic compound formed in starchy food products processed at temperatures above 120 °C. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the addition of SDF and green tea polyphenols (GTP) on AA formation and in vitro starch digestibility in baked starchy matrices. The formulations were prepared using gluten and wheat starch, ensuring ~40 ± 2% (wet basis, w.b.) moisture in the doughs. In some samples, 7.5% (dry basis, d.b.) of starch was replaced with inulin (IN), polydextrose (PD) or partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG), and/or with GTP at 1% (d.b). Acrylamide was determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the in vitro starch digestibility using the Englyst method. The GTP was able to reduce AA content by ~48%, and a combination of IN-GTP allowed it to be reduced by up to ~64%, revealing the lowest rapidly available glucose content (~17 mg/g glucose). While a PD-GTP mixture reduced the AA content by around ~57% and gave the highest unavailable glucose fraction (~74 mg/g glucose) compared to the control. This study showed how functional ingredients could be used to develop successfully healthier starchy bakery foods.

Overview on mitigation of acrylamide in starchy fried and baked foods

Acrylamide in fried and baked foods has the potential to cause toxic effects in animals and humans. A major challenge lies in developing an effective strategy for acrylamide mitigation in foods without altering its basic properties. Food scientists around the world have developed various methods to mitigate the presence of acrylamide in fried food products. Mitigation techniques using additives such as salts, amino acids, cations and organic acids along with blanching of foods have reduced the concentration of acrylamide. The use of secondary metabolites such as polyphenols also reduces acrylamide concentration in fried food products. Other mitigation techniques such as asparaginase pre-treatment and low-temperature air frying with chitosan have been effective in mitigating the concentration of acrylamide. The combined pre-treatment process along with the use of additives is the latest trend in acrylamide mitigation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Application of pretreatment methods on agricultural products prior to frying: a review

Frying is one of the methods of processing foods, which imparts flavour, taste, colour and crispness in the fried foods. In spite of an increase in the demand for fried foods by consumers all over the world, the danger posed by consuming too much fat is still a challenge. Many researchers have put forward many ideas on how to reduce the oil uptake and improve the nutritional and organoleptic qualities of foods during frying. Several pretreatment techniques applied to food materials prior to frying have been investigated by researchers in a bid to reduce the oil uptake and improve the quality parameters of fried foods. Therefore, this review focuses on the various pretreatment methods and the recent novel methods like ultrasound, infrared, superheated steam drying, microwave technique and pulsed electric field applied to foods prior to frying and its effects on the qualities of fried foods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.