Production of Chicken Nuggets

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the experiment was to review the role of rice flour, corn flour, wheat flour and sago flour used in the production of chicken nuggets as well as to identify the critical control points for this production of chicken nuggets.

INTRODUCTION

Deep fat frying (DFF) is an intensive heat transfer process which is widely use in the food processing industry. DFF produce significant internal vaporization and pressure generation as a function of porous structure of the product. DFF can be define as the process of cooking of food by immersing food into frying oil which has been heated to the temperature of 150 - 200°C. At this temperature range, the food products develop a desirable colour and crispy texture (Fiszman & Sanz, 2010). The water evaporation is quite rapid during the initial process of frying. This process is obstructed by the formation of the thick crust; as a result, pressure starts building inside the food product due to the accumulation of excess vapour which causes the formation of cracks in the crust. These cracks that were formed serve as conduits for the oil entry into the food product reducing moisture content with increase in frying time due to evaporation. As the frying process progresses, a moving moisture front advances into the food product. This moving front separates the wet and dry regions which result in vapour mode after moisture transfer. The liquid mode of moisture transfer slower than that of vapour mode. The liquid mode in moisture transfer enhances the texture, flavour and appearance of food (Mallikarjunan, Ngadi & Chinnan, 2010).

Nuggets can be made from a variety of meat sources. The most common formulation for nuggets is breast meat and skin, since breast meat has a uniformly soft texture and light colour. However, other meat sources can be incorporated, such as thigh, drumstick or mechanically deboned poultry meat. There are many other ingredients which can be added to nuggets during the production for various...