ABSTRACT
Deep-fat frying is used widely around the world as a major food processing operation. In recent years, frying has become one of the fastest growing processes used in the fast food industry generating billions of dollars annually worldwide. Frying generates flavorful products that have crispy crusts, enticing aromas, and visual appeal. Owing to these unique characteristics, fried foods continue to be a major part of the prepared foods market. Consumers also consider fried foods as comfort foods. Fried chicken has been identified as one of the fastest-growing fast food menu items for the last decade and continues to grow at a rapid rate in spite of the hype about healthy, low-carb/low-fat diets (Hamaker and Panitz, 2002). This and other reports in the literature demonstrate that the consumer’s vocal opinions about healthy foods and meals do not necessarily translate to their choices (Stein, 2006). Irrespective of socioeconomic background, in a study conducted in Australia with a large-scale survey of 17,531 consumers, 20% of males and 10% of females were found to consume two or more servings of fried foods per week (NSW Health Department, 2001).
