Evaluation of microwave pretreatment and frying temperature on physicochemical properties of deep fat fried zucchini

In recent decades, as the result of the expansion of industrial life, fast foods and fried foods consumption has increased significantly. Consumption of fried foods including saturated fat and trans fatty acids is one of the important factors which endangers human health and the risk of heart disease, weight gain, cancer. With increasing consumer awareness of the health effects of dietary fat, tend to produce low-fat food consumption is increasing. Nowadays, the main challenge is to enhance the frying process by controlling and lowering the final fat frying of the fried foods. In this study the effect of microwave pretreatment levels 360, 600 and 900 W), on moisture and oil content, color and hardness of fried zucchini at three temperatures, 130, 160 and 180 ° C were studied. The results showed that the moisture content decreased with increasing frying time and oil hardening rate increases. The moisture content with increasing frying temperature is reduced and the amount of oil absorption is reduced. The highest oil uptake in control samples, and the lowest in samples treated with microwave 900W was observed respectively.