Comparing Vegetable Oils for Frying: Deep Fry vs. Air?Fry

Air frying has become popular as a healthier alternative to deep frying. A study comparing the two frying methods using different vegetable oils found that air frying offers health benefits, with reduced fat intake and oxidation, especially when olive oil is used. The study also found that air frying has economic and environmental benefits, including the use of less oil and the elimination of wastewater after frying. Introduction Frying is a popular cooking method because of its simplicity and the unique sensory attributes it imparts to food. The classic frying process involves immersing food in hot oil, which causes dehydration and various chemical and physical changes in the food and oil. However, frying is not recommended as a regular dietary practice due to the significant amount of oil incorporated into the final product. Frying is a popular cooking method because of its simplicity and the unique sensory attributes it imparts to food. The conventional method of frying food involves submerging it in hot oil, which leads to dehydration and several chemical and physical transformations in both the food and oil. Nonetheless, it is not advisable to indulge in frequent fried foods as they contain a large amount of oil. As a result, air frying has emerged as a healthier alternative to deep frying. This technique uses an enclosed chamber that disperses oil droplets into a stream of hot air to fry food with minimal oil. While air frying can achieve up to 90% fat reduction, its acceptability depends on the similarity of the final product to fried foods. Previous studies have compared air frying with deep frying, but have not examined the effects of different air frying equipment and vegetable oils. The University of Porto conducted a study in 2017 comparing deep frying and air frying using four common frying oils (sunflower, soybean, canola, and olive) and two commercial air fryers. Below is a summary of their findings and discussion. Impact of different frying processes on potatoes' physical characteristics? In this section, the impact of oil type, temperature, frying time, and sample size on the color of fried potatoes is examined. The researchers utilized instrumental color coordinates (CIE-Lab*) to test the color of control and fried potatoes and compared the outcomes of various frying methods. According to the findings, frying in SO and OO generated higher levels of yellow color (coordinate b*) and reddish color (coordinate a*) in comparison to air frying in Actifry (Tefal model, France). They also observed a higher variability in the a* coordinate for Actifry due to the direct contact with the surface of the chamber. The study notes that air frying is associated with a lower rate of chemical reactions and non-enzymatic browning, which requires more processing time to achieve the characteristic color of fried potatoes. Impact of different frying processes on potatoes' chemical composition In this section, the nutritional and sensory aspects of fried potatoes are discussed. The researchers measured boiled and fried potatoes' moisture and lipid content and compared the results for different oil types and frying methods. They found that air frying in both the Actifry and Airfryer (Philips model, The Netherlands) resulted in a significant reduction in lipid content compared to deep frying. The study suggests that this has a strong nutritional impact by reducing the calorie content of fried potatoes. They also found that potatoes fried in OO had a lower trans-fatty acid (TFA) content compared to other vegetable oils. In addition, the study measured the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of fried potatoes and observed a decrease in total phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging activity in fried potatoes compared to boiled potatoes. However, air frying in both Actifry and Airfryer resulted in a significant increase in total phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging activity, suggesting that air frying may be a better method for preserving the antioxidant activity of fried potatoes. Impact of different frying processes on lipid degradation This section focuses on the lipid degradation that occurs during frying and how it is affected by different oil types and frying processes. The study measured the total polar compound (TPC) content of fried potatoes, which is an indicator of lipid degradation. They found that deep frying resulted in higher TPC levels than air frying and that SO had the highest TPC levels among the vegetable oils tested. The study concludes that TPC is an important indicator of oil quality and that air frying may be a better method to reduce lipid degradation during frying. Impact of different frying processes on global sensory characteristics This section discusses how the sensory qualities of fried potatoes are affected by various frying methods. To test the appearance, taste, texture, and acceptability of fried potatoes, the researchers utilized a trained panel and compared the results for different oil types and frying processes. It has been shown that oil type, cooking method and sample size all have an impact on potato sensation. Potatoes fried in OO received better acceptability scores than those fried in other vegetable oils. But air frying in both Actifry and Airfryer resulted in lower acceptability scores compared to deep frying. The study concludes that these results are significant for the food industry as they provide useful information on how various frying methods can impact the sensory qualities of fried potatoes. Conclusions The study found that air frying was superior to deep frying because it reduced fat content by 70% and preserved ascorbic acid and lipid breakdown. No effect was observed on acrylamide formation or degradation of phenolic compounds. When comparing two different air fryers, the exclusive airflow technology resulted in higher lipid degradation than the combined technology. For oils, OO generally showed a lower lipid degradation rate than other vegetable oils, but with more variation in sensory analysis, suggesting a significant impact on dietary habits. Overall, consumers showed good acceptance of air frying, with taste and odor qualities being more critical than color. Therefore, the choice of oil is more critical than the frying process. In conclusion, air frying has health benefits for consumers, including reduced oxidation, especially with OO, and environmental benefits due to reduced oil consumption and zero post-frying waste. You may also be interested in the following article?The frying experience: Exploring the evolution from conventional to air frying technology. Author:?Jorge Luis?Alonso G. (with ChatGPT)?Maximizing Agribusiness Profits with Expert Postharvest Storage Strategies | Horticultural Writing Specialist.?This article was written exclusively for the business platform Postharvest. Cover photo:?Pixabay