Understanding Oil Absorption

During Deep-Fat Frying

Prepared by:
Ms. Erica G. Penera
Introduction
Frying is considered to be one of the
oldest methods of food preparation due to
high cooking rates and desirable product
characteristics. It is a unit operation which
mainly used to alter the eating quality of
food. Deep-fat frying involves immersion of
food in hot edible oil at a temperature above
the boiling point of water for a given period
of time.
 What are the Common Deep
Fried Foods?
 MEAT
Seafood, Poultry, Fish
 VEGETABLES
Cassava, Potatoes- fries/chips
 BREAD AND DOUGH
Empanada, dumplings, egg roll, bread stick,
fried noodles
How is Food Heated in Deep-fat
Frying?
Steam and Volatile Compounds

WATER EVAPORATION

CRUST
OIL
ABSORPTION
CORE

SURFACE
What are the Process Involved
in Deep Frying?
Process Involves in Deep Frying

Mass Transfer

 Heat Transfer
Simultaneous Heat Transfer and
Mass Transfer
HEAT TRANSFER MASS TRANSFER
CRUST

CORE

CONVECTION: WATER:
WATER VAPOR:
CONDUCTION:
OIL:
What are the Equipments and
Utensils Used for Deep-fat
Frying?
Deep-Fat Fryers

Two Broad Categories :

1. Batch frying equipment

2. Continuous fryers
 Batch Fryers

• Static and smaller (whose

capacity can range from 8L-
28L of oil).
• This are normally used in
catering restaurant and small
plants.
 Continuous Fryers

• This are used on industrial

scale to process large
amount of foods (having a
throughput that varies from
250kg product to 25,000kg
product).
Utensils For Deep-fat Frying
1. Steel Kettle
2. Frying Basket
3. Deep-frying thermometer
What are the Characteristics of
Frying Oil?
 Frying Oil Characteristics
During deep-frying, fats and oil are
repeatedly used at elevated temperatures in
presence of atmospheric oxygen and receive
maximum oxidative and thermal abuse.

Chemical and physical changes in the oil

can prolong the process time, increase the
total amount of oil in the product, induce
toxicity, and lower food nutritional value.
 Good Frying Fat

 Stable at high temperatures

Smoke point above 200C and flash point
above 315C
Good clean bland flavour
Enhance the flavours of the fried product
 
Stability of Fat
More unsaturated fat leading to less
stability.

Polyunsaturated oils are less suitable for

frying e.g. sunflower, safflower oils.

A frying fat will have greater frying if it is

low in linolenic acid, high in oleic acid and
higher in saturated fats. 
 Temperature Ranges for Deep
Fat Frying
Type of Product Temperature of Fat Approximate Time

Doughnuts, Fritters,
Oysters, Scallop, 350-375 F (177- 60 seconds
Soft-shelled crabs 190C)
Croqueetes,
Eggplant, Onions, 375-385 F (190- 40 seconds
cauliflowers 196C)
French fried potatoes 385-395 F (196- 20 seconds
201C)
 Types of Deep Frying Fats
 Tallow
 Palm
 Hydrogenated fats
 Canola
 Cottonseed
 Unsaturated Oil: Olive oil, Peanut Oil,
Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Peanut Oil
 High Oleic Modified Oils: Sunflower
 Product Changes During
Deep Fat Frying
Fried products absorb oil during frying
and as they cool which contributes to a high
fat and high calorie products. Oil content in
fried food has been related to initial moisture
content, pre-frying treatment, and cooling
time.
 Shrinkage, Porosity, and
Texture Changes
• Fried products will shrink during frying,
becoming more porous and crispy after
frying.
• Bulk density decreases, and porosity and oil
uptake increase with frying time during
frying of Tortilla chips.
• The structure of food formed during frying
also plays an important role in mechanism of
oil absorption.
What are the Factors that Affects
Oil Absorption?
Factors Affecting Oil Absorption

 Oil Temperature Effect

 Specific Gravity
 Pre-frying Treatment
 Degree of starch Gelatinized
 Oil Quality
 Oil Temperature Effect
• Higher temperature leads to a faster crust
formation thus favoring the conditions for
oil absorption.

• As the moisture is reduced with frying

time, the ratio of oil content to the amount
of water removed becomes independent of
the oil temperature.
 Specific Gravity
• Potatoes with high specific gravity (˃1.10%)
and dry matter (>24.0%) produce chips with
lower oil content.

• The thicker the potato slice, and thus the

smaller surface are relative to the chip
volume, the lower will be the chips volume
oil content
 Pre-frying Treatment
• Blanching makes the fries’ color more
uniform, reduces oil uptake by gelatinizing
the surface starch, shortens frying time, and
improves the fries’ texture.

• Removing of some of the water prior to

frying can reduce oil uptake after frying
 Degree of Starch Gelatinized
• The higher the degree starch gelatinized the
more the oil will be at the surface of the
food than at the core.
 Oil Quality
• Used or poor quality frying oil will make the
product look oilier although the total oil
content will be the same as those fried in fresh
oil.
• Most of the oil absorbed by chips fried in
degraded oil is concentrated on the surface.
• The higher viscosity of the degraded oil could
cause the oil to adhere to the products surfaces
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that deep fat
frying is a complex process that involves
heat and mass transfer mechanisms and a
variety of physical and chemical changes in
both food and frying oil. Understanding the
mechanism of oil uptake is crucial to
product quality control since oil is one of
the most important quality factors of fried
foods in deep-fat frying process.
THANK YOU. . .