Chemical and Biological Modulations of Food due to the Frying Process

The interactions between frying fat and fried foods are of great relevance for the nutritional quality of the final product. In particular, the amount of fat taken up can be positively influenced at the industrial but also at the household level by different pre- and post-frying conditions. The fat uptake during the frying process can also lead to a complete different fatty acid pattern of the product. The change is always towards the predominant fatty acids in the frying fat, which can be beneficial when replacing saturated fatty acids with monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, but can also be of disadvantage in the case of fish, when the initial content of n-3 fatty acids is significantly reduced. This has also to be considered for nutritional calculation so as not to misrepresent the nutrient composition of the fried product. There have been positive developments in producing frying fats which are low in trans-fatty acids, and fried products low in heat-induced compounds which can address toxicological concerns such as acrylamide formation.