Methyl cellulose coating on fried dough cakes cut oil and chemical hazards
What it found
In fried Chinese dough cakes, a coating made with methyl cellulose and soy protein isolate lowered the amount of oil and several chemical hazards compared with no coating.
The tests were done on the food itself, not in people.
What they found
Oil content
The cakes coated with 1.5% methyl cellulose had 11.3% oil, while the uncoated cakes had 19.2% oil.
Acrylamide
The coated cakes had 73.70 μg/kg acrylamide, compared with 117.55 μg/kg in the uncoated cakes.
Acid and peroxide
The coated cakes had 0.15 mg KOH/100 kg acid and 8.54 mmol/kg peroxide. The uncoated cakes had 0.25 mg KOH/100 kg acid and 14.40 mmol/kg peroxide.
p-Anisidine value
The coated cakes had a p-anisidine value of 6.36, while the uncoated cakes had a value of 9.76.
Malondialdehyde, HHE and HNE
The coated cakes had 0.36 μg/g malondialdehyde, 0.13 μg/g HHE and 0.51 μg/g HNE. The uncoated cakes had 0.63 μg/g malondialdehyde, 0.23 μg/g HHE and 0.86 μg/g HNE.
Glycidyl ester
The coated cakes had 4,272 μg/kg glycidyl ester, compared with 5,758 μg/kg in the uncoated cakes.
What the authors conclude
“The 1.5% MC concentration was the best choice for coating to simultaneously lower oil and chemical hazards in CFDC.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the 1.5% methyl cellulose concentration was the best choice for coating to simultaneously lower oil and chemical hazards in the fried dough cakes.
- They report that methyl cellulose and soy protein isolate enhanced the oil barrier of the coating film, which effectively reduced heat transfer, oil transfer, oil oxidation and chemical hazards.
- They say their work on this edible coating contributes to methods for control of oil and chemical hazards in fried foods.
How it was done
Fat-related diseases and chemical hazards formed during frying are a major threat to human health. Coatings have been used as a practical way to reduce the oil and chemical hazards in fried foods.
They pretreated Chinese fried dough cakes with coatings made from methyl cellulose and soy protein isolate before frying. They then measured the oil content and several chemical hazards in the coated cakes and compared them with uncoated cakes.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study looked at the food itself, not at people eating it, so it cannot show what effect these coated fried cakes would have on human health.
- It did not test whether eating the coated cakes changes health outcomes in people.
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
- Abstract only
- 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-21-062PubMed 33770178DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error