Methyl cellulose coating reduced oil and chemical hazards in fried dough
What it found
A 1.5% methyl cellulose coating lowered the amount of oil and several frying chemicals in Chinese fried dough cakes compared with uncoated ones.
This was tested on food samples in a lab, not in people.
What they found
Less oil absorbed
Uncoated fried dough had 19.2% oil. Dough coated with 1.5% methyl cellulose had 11.3% oil. The coating acted as a barrier that slowed oil from soaking in during frying.
Lower acrylamide levels
Acrylamide dropped from 117.55 μg/kg in uncoated dough to 73.70 μg/kg with a 1.5% methyl cellulose coat. The authors suggest the coating blocked the reaction between sugars and amino acids that forms this chemical.
Fewer oxidation byproducts
Malondialdehyde fell from 0.63 to 0.36 μg/g with the 1.5% methyl cellulose coating. Two related chemicals, HHE and HNE, also dropped. These are formed when frying oil breaks down under heat.
Reduced glycidyl esters
Glycidyl ester levels went from 5,758 μg/kg in uncoated dough to 4,272 μg/kg with the 1.5% methyl cellulose coating. The coating limited how much of this chemical moved from the hot oil into the food.
Methyl cellulose worked best
At its strongest tested level, methyl cellulose lowered oil and all measured chemicals more than soy protein did. The authors picked 1.5% methyl cellulose as the best overall coating for balancing these reductions.
What the authors conclude
- They found that a 1.5% methyl cellulose coating was the most effective option for lowering both oil and chemical hazards in the fried dough cakes.
- They say their work adds to the methods available for controlling unwanted chemicals in fried foods using edible coatings.
- They plan to test whether these coatings change the taste, look, and texture of the final food in future research.
How it was done
Fried foods absorb a lot of oil and can form unwanted chemicals during cooking. The authors wanted to see if edible coatings could lower both the oil and these chemicals in a traditional Chinese fried dough cake.
The researchers coated pieces of dough with different strengths of methyl cellulose or soy protein solutions and dried them for four hours. They then fried the pieces in soybean oil at 180°C for two minutes. Uncoated dough pieces were fried the same way for comparison.
What it can’t tell you
- This study measured chemicals in food samples prepared in a lab, not health effects in people who eat them.
- It cannot show whether eating coated fried foods changes disease risk.
- The results apply to one specific type of fried dough cake and may differ for other foods.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Guangzhou University, People's Republic of China; South China University of Technology, People's Republic of China; Shenzhen University, People's Republic of China
The paper
- Title
- Effects of Methyl Cellulose and Soybean Protein Isolate Coating on Amount of Oil and Chemical Hazards in Chinese Fried Dough Cake
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Han L, He YE, Wang S, et al (2021). Effects of Methyl Cellulose and Soybean Protein Isolate Coating on Amount of Oil and Chemical Hazards in Chinese Fried Dough Cake. Journal of food protection. doi:10.4315/JFP-21-062Free full textPubMed 33770178DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error