Improvement in the quality of frozen dough for fried flour products by electrostatic field‐assisted freezing

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDWith the development of the food industry, frozen dough technology has gradually become an indispensable part of dough processing but its quality is often reduced due to freezing during the production process. Electrostatic field‐assisted freezing (EF) technology, a key research project in recent years, reduces the physical damage to food materials by reducing or changing the size of ice crystals in frozen products.RESULTSIn this study, different intensities of electrostatic fields were used to assist in the repeated freezing and thawing of dough. The effects of electrostatic fields on the freezing nucleation process were evaluated by measuring dough freezing curves, low field nuclear magnetic resonance, and melting enthalpy. It was found that the freezing time of frozen dough added with electrostatic field‐assisted freezing processing was shortened, the rate at which hardness, viscosity, and elasticity decreased was reduced, and the indicators of water distribution and protein secondary structure components were closer to those of fresh dough.CONCLUSIONThis experiment used electrostatic field‐assisted freezing to reduce the damage to the dough structure during the freezing process, improve the quality of frozen dough and fried products, and improve the freezing efficiency of frozen dough. It provides a new idea for the study of frozen dough. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.