Ch.

8 Deep Fat Frying

Objectives: To present
- The principle of frying.
- The chemistry of frying
- The fryers used in the food industry.
- The principle of heat and moisture transfer during frying.
- The principle of oil absorption.
- The need for automatic control of continuous fryers.

1. Principles of Deep-Fat Frying

- Frying technology is important to many sectors of the food industry:
supplier of oils and ingredients, fat-food shop and restaurant operators,
industrial producers of fully fried, par-fried and snack food, and
manufacturers of frying equipment. The amount of food fried and oils
used at both the industrial and commercial levels are huge. The US
produces over 5 x 109 lb of sliced frozen potato and potato products every
year, the majority of which are fried.

- A deep-fat fryer consists of a chamber where heated oil and a food product
are placed. The speed and efficiency of the frying process depend on the
temperature and the quality of the oil. The frying temperature is usually
between 150 and 190°C. Oil turnover time (mass of used oil/oil usage
rate) is around 10 hours.

- Frying is defined as the process of cooking and drying through contact

with hot oil and it involved simultaneous heat and mass transfer.

- The oil not only acts as the heat transfer medium, but also enters into the
product, providing flavor.

- The following factors can affect the frying process of foods:

1. Depending on the process

a. Temperature
b. Frying time
c. Fryer type – batch vs. continuous

2. Depending on the frying oil

a. Properties of the oil – chemical and physical
b. Additives and contaminants

3. Depending on the food

a. Properties of the food – chemical and physical
b. Preparation
c. Ingredients interchange with oil
 - Here is a list of products that are deep-fat fry in the U.S.A.:

- Potato chips 33 – 38% O.C. (Oil content)

- Tortilla chips 23 – 30%
- Expanded snack products 20 – 40%
- Roasted nuts 5 – 6%
- French fries 10 – 15%
- Doughnuts 20 – 25%
- Frozen food (fish, chicken, pancakes) 10 – 15%

2. The Chemistry of Frying

- The common element of all fats is a substance called glycerol
- Also occurring in nature are compounds called fatty acids
- Glycerol can combine with these fatty acids through esterification to form
mono-, di-, and tryglycerides
- All fats and oils are made up of a mixture of triglycerides
- Some fatty acids possess double bonds and their presence tends to make
these particular fatty acids more sensitive and more unstable
- Many chemical reactions take place during frying and affect the quality
and storage time of the oil. Several of these factors lead to the spoilage of
the oil:
1. Isomerization (polymerization): this reaction occurs rapidly during
standby and frying periods. The molecule is rearranged and the double
bonds can often end up closer together making the fat more unstable
and more sensitive to oxidation.
2. Pyrolysis: It results in the extensive breakdown of the chemical
structure of the fat resulting in the formation of lower molecular weight
compounds.
3. Hydrolysis: It is the major chemical reaction taking place during
frying caused by the water in the food. It results in the formation of
free fatty acids. The smoked point is reduced and the oil and food
develop off-flavors. Baking powder and moisture in the food promote
hydrolysis.
 - Changes in the oil during frying:

Type of alteration Causing agent Resulting compounds

Hydrolic Moisture - fatty acids
- monoglycerides
- diglycerides
- glycerol

Oxidative Air - oxidized monomers

- oxidative dimers & polymers
- non-polar dimmers and
polymers
- volatile compounds
(hydrocarbons,
aldehydes, ketones,
alcohol, acids, etc.)

Thermal Temperature - cyclic monomers

- dimers and monomers

Solubilization Food - colored compounds

- food lipids

3. Deep-Fat Fryers

- The processes used to fry food products can be divided into two broad
categories: those that are static and smaller, classified as batch fryers used
in the catering restaurants, those that fry large amount of products in a
moving bed, used in the food industry, classified as continuous fryers.

3.1 Batch Frying Systems

- Batch fryers should be of the appropriate size and installed in the proper
number. Other factors such as (a) fuel source, (b) speed of temperature
recovery, and (c) safety should be taken into consideration when selecting
a frying apparatus.

- Different types of batch fryers include: gas-fired, electric, and pressure

fryers

3.2 High-Capacity Frying Systems

- The industrial fryer consists of several basic components, which are

familiar for both continuous and batch systems.

- In designing a continuous fryer, factors, such as the amount of food, the

conveyor system, the food characteristics, and the handling system after
the frying are important to effectively produce high quality products.
- An oversized fryer can be very inefficient, causing severe oil degradation,
creating cleanup problems, and resulting in poor quality of the product.

- It is better to design a fryer for maximum efficiency in producing one

product type than multiple products inefficiently.

- A continuous fryer system consists of at least five independent set of

equipment: (1) the kettle or tank containing the frying oil, (2) a heating
unit with a control system for generating thermal energy, (3) a conveying
system for moving the product into, through, and out of the frying process,
(4) a fat system, which pumps and filters the frying oil, and (5) an exhaust
system for removing the hot vapors emerging from the product