Effect of air-frying conditions on the quality attributes and lipidomic characteristics of surimi during processing

Air-frying is a novel technology for cooking fried foods through spraying hot air around the raw materials with the aim to promote the homogenous contact between the foods and the mist of oil droplets in hot air. The influence of temperature and time of air-frying on the physical, flavor, and lipidomic properties of surimi was investigated. The results indicated that along with the increase of temperature (120, 160, and 200 °C) and time (10 and 15 min), the moisture content of surface decreased dramatically while that of interior was well preserved. The applied texture property analysis (TPA) showed the enhanced hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of air-fried surimi. The lipids were prone to be oxidized under the circulated hot air during processing, which lead to a significant change in TBARS especially when the temperature exceeded 160 °C. In addition, new flavor compounds (aldehydes, ketones, etc.) were produced due to the lipid peroxidation and degradation. The lipidomic property of air-fried surimi was also explored, a total of 30 phospholipid molecular species were examined. Conclusively, in optimum conditions, air-fried surimi exhibit crispy texture, appealing flavor, and low oil content to satisfy consumer preference. Compared with deep fat fried surimi, air frying can be considered as a healthy technique for preparing attractive fried food.