Kinetics of Quality Changes During Food Frying

This paper deals with kinetics of quality changes during food frying. The quality parameters of interests include color, texture, viscoelastic properties, volume/density, and nutraceuticals (Omega 3 fatty acids). The kinetic theory and determination methodology under isothermal/non-isothermal conditions are also reviewed. This paper presents the reported reaction rate constant, order of reaction, and activation energy for specific quality changes including phenomenological observations and important speculations. The changes of color, textural, and viscoelastic properties generally followed a first order reaction. In some studies, activation energy analysis could have been improved by applying corresponding system temperatures for the quality change reactions of interest. The kinetic information on volume/density changes and thermal degradation of nutraceutical is still limited to experimental observations of the changes.

Keywords:

• color
• texture
• volume
• activation energy
• order of reaction
• reaction rate constant

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge NSERC (Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada) for research funding.

Notes

^a Estimated from the figure.