ASTORIA -Researchers at OSU’s Seafood Research and Education Center have come up with a fish protein coating they say significantly reduces the fat content of fried shrimp and other fried seafood dishes.<\/p>\n
The protein solution is based on surimi, the minced and washed fish that’s transformed into a paste that can be formed into a variety of products, including popular imitation “crab.” The Astoria-based seafood center pioneered the science of producing tasty, protein-rich surimi, and is known world-wide for its annual Surimi School for seafood processors.<\/p>\n
In Asia, surimi forms the basis of popular fried dishes – dishes which have an unusually low fat content (approximately 2 percent. That piqued the interest of Dr. Jae Park, head of OSU’s surimi research and education efforts.\u00a0 With a grant from the Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF), Park’s team has been working on a project that turns some of that protein into a solution which can be used to coat other seafood products – and which appears to keep fried fish from absorbing so much fat.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter doing some initial tests with typical fried US products like chicken nuggets and French fries, we saw that the fried surimi product was consistently low in fat,\u201d said Dr. Jae Park, professor at OSU\u2019s Department of Food Science and Technology and OSU Seafood Research and Education Center (Astoria, OR). \u201cWe thought if it\u2019s the fish protein that is minimizing the fat uptake, how can we use that on other fried seafood to get the same results?\u201d<\/p>\n
After two years of research, Park and his team have developed a fat blocker solution from surimi protein that has successfully reduced the fat content of fried shrimp.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically when you fry chicken nuggets or fish, you get a fat content of about 16 percent and 10 percent respectively,\u201d explained researcher Angee Hunt. \u201cWhen we fried the breaded shrimp by coating it with our fat blocker solution, the treated shrimp had 15 to 20 percent less fat compared to untreated shrimp.”<\/p>\n
The scientists believe that the fish protein creates a protective layer around the food to reduce the fat uptake and retain the moisture, without altering the taste or texture of the product.<\/p>\n
Oregon Sea Grant was an early supporter of surimi research by Park and other scientists at the Astoria lab.<\/p>\n
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ASTORIA -Researchers at OSU’s Seafood Research and Education Center have come up with a fish protein coating they say significantly reduces the fat content of fried shrimp and other fried seafood dishes. The protein solution is based on surimi, the … Continue reading