Determination of Optimum Processing Condition of High Protein Laver Chip Using Air-Frying and Reaction Flavor Technologies

This study aimed to develop a high-protein and gluten-free laver chip using air-frying and reaction flavor technologies via response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum processing condition (w/w) was determined with a batter composition of 20% dried laver, 21.3% hair tail surimi, and 58.7% rice flour. Additional ingredients included б-gluconolactone, NaHCO3, soybean oil, corn syrup, table salt, saccharin, and a mixture of distilled water and reaction flavor-inducing solution (RFIS). The laver pellet processed and dried (50 °C, 1-2 h) with air-frying (195 °C, 52.5 s) to process the laver chip. The values of brittleness and puffing ratio of the laver chip were 6.93 ± 0.33 N and 116.19 ± 0.48%, respectively, with an error within 10% of the predicted values of RSM. RFIS was prepared via RSM with the addition of precursor substances (w/v) of methionine 0.54%, threonine 3.30%, glycine 2.40%, glutamic acid 0.90%, and glucose 3% to distilled water and then heating reaction (121 °C, 90 min). The quantitatively descriptive analysis (QDA) of RFIS, baked potato-like and savory odor were 6.00 ± 0.78 and 4.00 ± 0.91, respectively, with an error within 10% of the predicted values. The laver chip exhibited high-protein (24.26 ± 0.10 g%) and low-calorie (371.56 kcal) contents.

Study on the physicochemical and flavor characteristics of air frying and deep frying shrimp (crayfish) meat

This study aimed to compare the changes in the quality characteristics of air-fried (AF) shrimp meat and deep-fried (DF) shrimp meat at different frying temperatures (160, 170, 180, 190°C). Results showed that compared with DF, the moisture and fat content of air-fried shrimp meat (AFSM) was lower, while the protein content was higher. At the same frying temperature, the fat content of the AFSM was 4.26-6.58 g/100 g lower than that of the deep-fried shrimp meat (DFSM). The smell of the AFSM and DFSM was significantly different from that of the control group. The results of the electronic tongue showed that each of the two frying methods had its flavor profile. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) identified 48 compounds, and the content of volatile compounds detected in AFSM was lower than that in DFSM. Among them, the highest level of volatile compound content was found in the DF-190. E-2-pentenal, 2-heptenal (E), and methyl 2-methyl butanoate were identified only in DFSM. In addition, a total of 16 free amino acids (FAAs) were detected in shrimp meat. As judged by sensory evaluation, the AFSM at 170°C was the most popular among consumers.

Effects of Sodium Alginate, Pectin and Chitosan Addition on the Physicochemical Properties, Acrylamide Formation and Hydroxymethylfurfural Generation of Air Fried Biscuits

This study evaluated the effects of sodium alginate, pectin and chitosan addition (0.5–1.5%) on the physicochemical properties including pH, water activity, moisture content, color values, hardness, diameter, thickness, spread ratio, antioxidant activities and sensory scores of biscuits in air frying processing. In addition, the formation of acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were discussed. Physicochemical properties of biscuits including water content, water activity, hardness, appearance, shape, color, flavor, texture, overall acceptability, and DPPH radical scavenging activity of biscuits were not influenced significantly by the addition (0.5–1.0%) of three food hydrocolloids. The data showed that the biscuits with hydrocolloids addition had lower acrylamide contents than that of the control biscuit without hydrocolloids addition, and the reducing power of biscuits increased after adding the hydrocolloids. The highest mitigation of acrylamide formation was obtained by the chitosan addition formulation. The formation of acrylamide showed a negative correlation with the content of sodium alginate and chitosan addition, and they were effective ingredients in terms of mitigating the formation of acrylamide in biscuit formulation.

Water–Energy–Food Nexus and Life Cycle Thinking: A New Approach to Environmental and Nutritional Assessment of Potato Chips

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has become a key concept to promote the cross-sectoral coordination toward sustainable development. In particular, understanding the interdependences of these pillars, as well as addressing a life cycle perspective, is essential when evaluating food production systems. This study explores the environmental impacts and nutritional quality of potato chips, addressing life cycle thinking and a WEF nexus approach. For this purpose, the combined application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and the Nutrient-Rich Food 9.3 (NRF9.3) index was considered to identify the main environmental hotspots and advanced opportunities. The results indicated a major contribution of the cultivation stage on water use, whereas the processing accounted for most of the impacts in energy-related indicators and eutrophication potentials. Improvement opportunities reside in the joint application of drip irrigation, allowing to achieve important water savings, as well as the use of natural gas or pellets instead of diesel, which constitute cleaner energy sources. On the other hand, a poor nutritional density of potato chips became evident from the quantification of the NRF9.3, which can be significantly improved if potatoes undergo a roasted process instead of frying.

Incorporation of the Dry Blossom Flour of Sambucus nigra L. in the Production of Sponge Cakes

The present study aims to develop recipe compositions and technology for producing sponge cakes from wholemeal flour, partially replaced with a functional plant component dry blossom flour of Sambucus nigra L. Three designs of sponge cakes with 5, 10, and 15% content of flour of Sambucus nigra L. corrected up to 100% with whole-grain oat flour were studied. Their characteristics were compared with sponge cakes of 100% wheat flour/control. The obtained new products were characterized by reduced carbohydrates, increased content of dietary fiber, and preserved volume compared to the control. The physicochemical parameters of sponge cake and marshmallows with different concentrations of dry flowers of Sambucus nigra L. included in them differed from the control with lower water absorption, pH, and moisture, while having a higher relative mass and ash content and retaining the original size. Pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., and Staphylococcus aureus, and common coliforms were not detected in the control and experimental samples when determining the microbiological parameters. Therefore, the developed formulations are an excellent alternative to wheat flour, significantly improving some nutritional characteristics such as smell, taste, dietary fiber, and lower carbohydrate content.

Optimization of the Frying Temperature and Time for Preparation of Healthy Falafel Using Air Frying Technology

Air-frying is an innovative technique for food frying that uses hot air circulation to prepare healthy products. The objectives of this study were to establish simplified models to reflect the efficacy of the air frying process at varying temperatures and times on the quality attributes of falafel, and to optimize the frying conditions for producing air-fried falafel. Moisture content, color, fat content, hardness, and sensory evaluation of the fried falafel were analyzed under varied temperatures (140 °C, 170 °C, and 200 °C) and time periods (5 min, 10 min, and 15 min). Statistical analysis was then applied to obtain the best fit model that can describe the properties of fried falafel. Results indicated that moisture content, fat content, and L*-value of air-fried falafel were adversely related to the frying temperature and time, but the hardness and ΔE of fried falafel were increased as the frying temperature and time increased. Moreover, an increase followed by a decrease was shown for the appearance, aroma, crispness, taste, and overall preference scores with the increase in frying temperature and time. The regression analysis showed that the proposed models could be properly used for predicting the properties of the fried falafel. In addition, the overlaid plots resulted in the optimum frying temperature of 178.8 °C and time of 11.1 min. Interestingly, the fat content of the air-fried falafel reduced by 45% at optimal frying conditions compared with that for the deep-fat fried one at 180 °C for 7 min (control). In comparison, the air-fried falafel was lower in fat content, higher in hardness with more acceptable appearance and crispness scores than deep-fat fried falafel. Such information could be beneficial to the manufacturers of the falafel to produce an optimal and healthy product.

Role of Hydrocolloids in the Structure, Cooking, and Nutritional Properties of Fiber-Enriched, Fresh Egg Pasta Based on Tiger Nut Flour and Durum Wheat Semolina

The aim of this work concerns the manufacturing process of fresh egg tagliatelle labeled as a "source of fiber" based on tiger nut flour and wheat semolina. An attempt to improve the quality attributes and cooking properties of the obtained product was made by means of structuring agents. More specifically, a combination of three hydrocolloids (carboximethylcellulose, CMC; xanthan gum, XG; and locust bean gum, LBG) was tested. A Box-Behnken design with randomized response surface methodology was used to determine a suitable combination of these gums to achieve fewer cooking losses, higher water gain and swelling index values, and better texture characteristics before and after cooking. Positive effects on textural characteristics were observed when incorporating XG into the pasta formulation. Cooking and fiber loss also significantly diminished with the XG-CMC combination over 0.8%. No significant effect was found for the other evaluated parameters. A synergistic interaction between LBG and XG was only significant for the water absorption index. The cooked pasta was considered a source of fiber in all cases.

Effect of New Frying Technology on Starchy Food Quality

Frying is commonly used by consumers, restaurants, and industries around the globe to cook and process foods. Compared to other food processing methods, frying has several potential advantages, including reduced processing times and the creation of foods with desirable sensory attributes. Frying is often used to prepare starchy foods. After ingestion, the starch and fat in these foods are hydrolyzed by enzymes in the human digestive tract, thereby providing an important source of energy (glucose and fatty acids) for the human body. Conversely, overconsumption of fried starchy foods can promote overweight, obesity, and other chronic diseases. Moreover, frying can generate toxic reaction products that can damage people's health. Consequently, there is interest in developing alternative frying technologies that reduce the levels of nutritionally undesirable components in fried foods, such as vacuum, microwave, air, and radiant frying methods. In this review, we focus on the principles and applications of these innovative frying technologies, and highlight their potential advantages and shortcomings. Further development of these technologies should lead to the creation of healthier fried foods that can help combat the rise in diet-related chronic diseases.

Optimizing air-frying process conditions for the development of healthy fish snack using response surface methodology under correlated observations

Air frying technique was used for the preparation of fish cutlet-a popular fish snack with low fat content, better protein content and color. The process conditions viz: temperature varying from 160 to 200 °C and time varying from 5 to 15 min were optimized using response surface methodology. A factorial design with 9 runs satisfying rotatability conditions under correlated errors was formulated for the experiment. The parameters of first order response surface model with interaction were estimated by generalized least square method. The optimum temperature-time combination for air-frying condition was found to be 180 °C and 12 min, respectively for low fat content, better protein content and colour, comparable texture profile and sensory acceptability when compared to deep fried fish cutlet samples. Air-fried fish cutlets can be a healthier protein rich snack product as an alternative to deep fat fried fish cutlets.

Effect of Pre-treatment in Producing Pumpkin Powder Using Air Fryer and Its Application in 'Bingka' Baking

Pumpkin powder is one of the main pumpkin products with longer shelf life and it can act as a substitute for pumpkin flesh in different types of formulated foods. This work focused on producing pumpkin powder from different pumpkin parts and evaluating the effects of powder substitution on the physical properties of cake (bingka). Different parts of pumpkin (peeled, unpeeled, and skin) were pre-treated by soaking in limewater solution and then dried in an air fryer at the temperature of 80 °C, 120 min and air flow of 5.11 m/s. The fresh pumpkin (peeled and unpeeled-pumpkin) and pumpkin powder (peeled and unpeeled-pumpkin) were both used in the production of ‘bingka’ and the baking parameters were optimised. The selected temperatures for baking ‘bingka’ were in the range of 130–150 °C and the baking time was between 25 and 35 min. Baking temperature and time had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on moisture content and hardness, but are insignificant towards chewiness. The ‘bingka’ baked using peeled pumpkin at optimum baking temperature (130 °C) and time (25 min) had higher moisture content (45.92%) as compared to those baked using unpeeled pumpkin 43.47%, peeled pumpkin powder (44.23%) and unpeeled pumpkin powder (43.47%). It can be concluded that pumpkin powders can be used as a substitute for raw material by considering the moisture content, hardness and chewiness of the products.