ABSTRACT
The main purpose for applying bread and batter coatings on fried foods is to produce high-quality products in terms of visual appeal, crispness, low fat content, flavor, and favorable consumer satisfaction (Loewe, 1990, 1993; Fiszman and Salvador, 2003). The various ingredients used in batter and breading formulation impart different functionalities and properties to the batters (Xue and Ngadi, 2006, 2007). Selection of batters in the industry has been largely empirical. Processors have relied on trial-and-error approachs or on experience to match batter functionality with a specific application. Due to increasing consumer demands for higher quality coated products and in order to optimize the development of novel batters for industrial applications, it has become vital to understand the functional properties of batters and the influence of their ingredients. Knowledge of thermophysical properties of batters such as viscosity, particle-size distribution of breading and flour, adhesion, and porosity can be helpful for the development of new batter formulations.
