Effects of beer-battering on the frying properties of wheat or rice batters and their coated foods.

Authors: Shih, Frederick; Bett Garber, Karen; Champagne, Elaine; Daigle, Kim; Lea, Jeanne

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2010
Publication Date: 8/20/2010
Citation: Shih, F.F., Bett Garber, K.L., Champagne, E.T., Daigle, K.W., Lea, J.M. 2010. Effects of beer-battering on the frying properties of wheat or rice batters and their coated foods. Journal of Food Science. 90:2203-2207.

Interpretive Summary: Beer in food cooking provides unique characteristics, as the hop content of beer adds bitterness and acidity, the malt content adds a subtle sweetness, and the yeast content produces a light, fluffy texture. It is especially desirable for use in batters. Beer battering has been popular in fried foods, particularly for seafood products. In this research, we prepared rice and wheat batters with and without using beer to replace water in the recipe. The batters were fried and they were also used to coat foods, including fish fillets and onion rings. Their frying properties, including oil-uptake, textural and sensory properties, were analyzed and evaluated. Generally, with or without beer, rice batters absorbed less oil than wheat batters during frying. Fish and onion ring coated with batters with beer were softer and crispier than those without, more so with rice batters. Our research provides information useful to people interested in fried food quality studies, and in the food industry for new food developments.

Technical Abstract: Rice and wheat batters were prepared with and without the use of beer replacing water in the formulation. During frying, rice batters were found to absorb substantially lower oil, by about 50%, than the wheat counterparts with or without beer. With beer in the formulation, oil uptake of fried batters generally increased by up to 18%. Instrumental textural analyses indicate that beer-battering treatment generally decreased the hardness, increased the fracturability, and improved the crispness of the fried batters. Sensory evaluations show similar trends, though to a lesser extent than those from instrumental analysis, that fish and onion rings coated with batters were softer, but crispier with beer than without. Overall, the effect of beer battering is more pronounced in improved frying properties, such as, crispness for rice batters than wheat batters.