Effect of cooking methods and polysaccharide addition on the cooking performance of cubic fat substitutes

This study examined the effect of two different cooking methods (grilling and frying) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) addition on the cooking yield, water distribution, color, texture, oral tribology, sensory characteristics, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) content of cubic fat substitutes (CFS). Grilled samples displayed higher yellowness and lightness values and cooking yield. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that the fixed water relaxation time gradually decreased at a higher KGM level, indicating that KGM changed the distribution and migration of internal water. The relaxation time and amplitude of the grilled samples were slightly higher, indicating a slightly lower fixed water level. The textural and sensory evaluation showed that the overall sensory score of the fried cubic fat substitutes and pork backfat exceeded that of the grilled samples. A higher KGM content improved the hardness, springiness, and chewiness of the cubic fat substitutes to improve the texture and taste. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) value of all the cubic fat substitutes was significantly lower than in the pork backfat, while these values were slightly higher when fried than when grilled. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that KGM addition rendered the network structure more compact, denser, and similar to that of pork backfat. This study provided a theoretical basis for cooking cubic fat substitutes and research involving properties such as the cooking yield and water distribution after cooking.