Dive Brief:
- Coatings, typically made from a combination of flours or starch, water and seasoning, are becoming increasingly common for food products ranging from meats to vegetables.
- They can enhance flavor, texture and looks, letting manufacturers better align their products with the consumer-driven indulgence trend.
- They also serve as a barrier to mass transfer during the frying process, which decreases oil uptake and prevents dryness.
Dive Insight:
Coatings can challenge manufacturers, especially when trying to develop formulations for fried foods that will be frozen. Companies interested in coatings and batter formulation are likely looking into improved functionality, quality and cost-effectiveness in terms of clean, value-added ingredients.
Crunchy textures are in high demand, and manufacturers have responded with more fried foods, but the ingredients they're using for coatings is evolving. With the growth in demand for protein and functional foods has come pulse-based coatings that tend to be high in protein, non-GMO, vegetarian and sustainably sourced.
Peas, lentils, fava beans and chickpeas offer functionality as coating ingredients, particularly absorbency and thickening effects, in addition to a range of health benefits. Pulse-based ingredients also enable manufacturers to align with the gluten-free trend by providing the deep fried texture without using wheat or grain-based flour.