The Application of Glass Transition Temperature in the Frying of Starchy Foods: A Review

ABSTRACTInvestigating the glass transition temperature (Tg) of fried foods helps comprehend their physiochemical, and thermal characteristics, which are crucial in controlling their quality, stability, and safety during processing and storage. During the phase transition, substantial alterations happen in the physical properties of fried foods, such as molecular mobility, viscosity, and elasticity, due to variations in moisture and temperature, leading to the development of the structure. This study aimed to review the importance and concept of glass transition temperature (Tg), and changes in the physical properties of starchy products controlled by this phenomenon. The influence of water sorption, pre- and post-frying treatments, frying time, and food composition on Tg during frying was also reviewed. Moreover, the effect of Tg on textural characteristics of fried foods, including crispness, crust formation, and collapse, as well as measurement techniques of Tg, were covered.KEYWORDS: Collapsecrispnessstructuresugartexturewheat flour Highlights Glass transition temperature (Tg) is connected with physical, chemical and thermal behaviors.Physicochemical variations influence microstructure, quality, stability and safety of fried foods.Tg help to describe porosity development during frying of starchy foods.Plasticization effect should be taken into account in explaining textural parameters in fried foods.It is essential to increase Tg to improve physical stability of fried foods.AcknowledgmentsThis work was supported by funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this manuscript.