Effect of an oat β-glucan-rich hydrocolloid (C-trim30) on the rheology and oil uptake of frying batters

C-trim30, a new beta-glucan-rich hydrocolloid containing 32% beta-glucan, was obtained by steam jet-cooking and fractionating oat bran concentrates. It was then incorporated into batter formulations to investigate the rheological effects of C-trim30, which were correlated with batter attributes. In steady shear measurements, the use of C-trim30 led to the increase in batter viscosity, while it did not show significant effects on the shear-thinning pattern of batters. Moreover, the increase in the dynamic viscoelastic properties was observed with more contribution to elastic properties because of the high water-holding properties of C-trim30. These rheological characteristics could be correlated with the adhesive properties of batters to a food matrix. In addition, C-trim30 was shown to produce a sample with increased batter pickup, less moisture loss, and reduced oil content. Even, the oil content was reduced by up to 40% when 4% C-trim30 was used in the batter formulations. The combined effects of elevated viscosity, great batter pickup, and reduced moisture loss by the use of C-trim30 contributed synergistically to the reduction of oil content in fried foods.