Optimizing Crisp Meat Quality with Modified Starches: From Rheological Properties to Post-Freezing Performance

Crisp meat, a traditional Chinese food, is widely consumed due to its convenience and long frozen shelf life. However, conventional preparation methods lead to excessive oil absorption during frying and ice crystal formation during freezing, causing coating softening and reduced crispiness after reheating. This study aimed to enhance the quality of crisp meat before and after freezing by incorporating modified starches into the batter. Four types—oxidized starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, starch acetate, and acetylated distarch phosphate—were tested at replacement levels of 10–40% for natural potato starch (NS). Results showed that all modified starches improved batter rheology by 20%, increased viscosity and stability during frying, and delayed retrogradation during freezing compared to NS. Among them, 20% acetylated starch has a better effect on improving the quality of frozen small crisp meat for enhancing water-holding capacity, increasing immobilized water content, reducing oil uptake by 12–18%, and improving product texture. Specifically, they helped maintain a crispier coating after reheating, addressing a key drawback of traditional crisp meat. In conclusion, modified starches significantly improved frying performance and minimized quality loss during freezing compared to NS. This study provides practical insights for the food industry in optimizing batter formulations for better-quality crisp meat products.