Abstract: This study evaluated the potential of pectin (PEC)-based coatings, enhanced with
olive leaf extract (OLE) and chitosan nanoparticles (CH-NPs), to mitigate the formation
of harmful compounds during the frying of French fries. The research compared deep
fat and hot air frying methods. Initial characterization of the coating solutions included
assessing zeta potential, Z-Average, polydispersity index, and antioxidant capacity. The
inclusion of OLE and CH-NPs significantly boosted antioxidant activity, reaching 78.9%,
without substantially altering zeta potential or Z-Average characteristics. Notably, hot air
frying induced significantly higher levels of acrylamide (ACR) and hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF) compared to deep fat frying. However, the application of the developed coatings
demonstrated a marked reduction in both ACR and HMF across both frying techniques.
Furthermore, the coatings, particularly PEC with OLE and CH-NPs, effectively decreased
oil absorption by 55% while simultaneously increasing moisture content. The sensory
evaluation indicated that the panelists liked the deep-fat-fried fries significantly more
compared to hot air frying. Deep-fat frying led to an elevated browning index, which was
significantly counteracted by the application of the coatings. These findings underscore
the importance of informing consumers about the potential for increased ACR and HMF
formation during hot air frying, despite its advantages in reducing fat content, to ensure
informed dietary choices

Title

Coatings

Publisher

MDPI

Publisher Country

Switzerland

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

2.8

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

5

Year

2025

Pages

19