Search Results (2)

The air fryer and the oven are common cooking methods in our daily lives. However, previous investigations of the air fryer were limited to its comparison with deep-fat frying. This study compared the differences between air frying and household oven baking (without a fan or other forced airflow inside) on food quality and physicochemical properties using a cupcake model. Results showed that the oven-baked cupcakes were softer in texture (87.15%), greener in color (6.07%), and lower in weight loss (7.78%) and toxic advanced glycation end products (AGEs, 21.40%) when the heating temperature and duration were the same as oven baking. To improve the sensory characteristics and health value, the cupcakes were fortified with green tea. The differences in texture, color, and level of toxicants between the two cooking methods were diminished after the addition of green tea. Moreover, the chemical profiles of green tea catechins in the green-tea-fortified cupcakes remained similar upon thermal cooking, except that the air-fried cupcakes were lower in gallic acid (GA) but higher in (−)-gallocatechin (GC). Collectively, based on the differences in heating mechanisms, our data indicated that oven baking is a better cooking method suitable to prepare cupcakes than air frying from the perspectives of sensory characteristics and food safety, while green tea additives effectively counter the drawbacks of the air fryer. Full article

Red kidney bean (RKB) flour is a nutrient-rich ingredient with potential use in bakery products. The objective of this study was to investigate the viscoelastic properties and key quality parameters of a functional RKB flour in gluten-free cupcakes with different rice flour levels. A 10 g model batter was developed for analyzing the viscoelastic properties of RKB with rice incorporation, in a formula containing oil, liquid eggs, and water. Rice flour was added at five levels 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 25% (w/w, g rice flour/100 g RKB flour). Rice flour increased RKB batter consistency, solid- and liquid-like viscoelastic behavior and revealed a heterogeneous structure, based on the sweep frequency test. Rice flour at the 25% level increased the shear modulus and activation energy of gelatinization, compared to 0% rice flour addition. Rice flour levels in the RKB batter decreased the inflection gelation temperature from 63 to 56 °C. In addition, the texture of RKB cupcakes with 25% rice flour were 46% softer, compared to the control. The scores from all sensory attributes of cupcakes increased with the addition of rice flour. Rice flour addition improved solid- and liquid-like behavior of the RKB batter and improved the cupcake’s macro-structural characteristics. Overall, 25% rice flour addition performed better than the lower levels. This study confirmed the potential of RKB as a functional ingredient and its improvement in cupcake application with the addition of rice flour. Full article