Multifractal characterization of fried foods pore microstructure

This study aimed to unravel the multifractal properties of internal microstructure in relation to textural evolution of meat-analog (MA) based coated fried foods. Wheat and rice flour-based batters were used to coat MA model that was deep fried at 180°C for 2, 4 and 6 minutes in canola oil. Internal pore microstructures were investigated by X-ray microtomography based multifractal analysis (MFA) and texture were assessed by mechanical texture analyzer. Results showed that batter coatings greatly influenced the formation of internal microstructure during frying as well as post-frying mass redistribution and textural evolution. The frying time impacted the evolution of micropores, and porosity showed a positive correlation with the fat content of MA-based fried products. Porous, low-moisture and high-fat containing coated fried MA-based product demonstrated higher textural stability. Internal microstructure (pore distribution) of fried MAs were heterogenous and possessed multifractal scaling behavior, as depicted by MFA outcomes (Singularity & Rényi spectra). Strong correlation observed between moisture-fat, texture, porosity and selected multifractal parameters (Δα, Δfα, R-L, D1, D2, ΔD).