Development of low-fat gluten and starch fried matrices with high fiber content

Low-fat and high dietary-fiber diets are important elements in the prevention of chronic diseases. The objective of this work was to understand the effect of wheat bran inclusion in large amounts to a gluten–starch matrix, in structure formation and associated quality attributes, during deep-fat frying. Matrices were prepared mixing 12 g of gluten and 88 g of wheat starch per 100 g of dry solids, ensuring a moisture content of 40 g water/100 g dough. Starch was gradually replaced by wheat bran (up to 40 g/100 g dry solids), and lack of structure formation was overcome by partially replacing starch with pregelatinized corn starch. Samples were fried at 170 °C and oil absorption in high fiber products was reduced through post-frying centrifugation. Pregelatinized corn starch addition allowed obtaining an adequate structure in formulations with high wheat bran content, reducing oil absorption by 35% in formulations with up to 20 g wheat bran/100 g dry solids. It was possible to obtain a low-fat product (70% reduction) with high fiber content (40 g/100 g dry solids) after centrifugation, confirming the importance of oil absorption during post-frying cooling.