Unveiling the Impact of Vacuum and Atmospheric Frying and Post‐Fry Cooling on Texture and Physicochemical Attributes of Chicken Nuggets

This study focuses on the experimental investigation of frying and cooling of chicken nuggets under vacuum and atmospheric pressure. Of the six treatments performed, two involved atmospheric frying at 170°C followed by atmospheric cooling (AF170–AC) or vacuum cooling (10 kPa) (AF170–VC). The other treatments included frying at 115 or 170°C under vacuum (10 kPa), followed by either atmospheric cooling or vacuum cooling (10 kPa), designated as VF115–AC, VF115–VC, VF170–AC, and VF170–VC. Post‐treatment evaluations included moisture loss, oil absorption, porosity, color, textural properties, and fried nugget oxidation. It was revealed that AF170–AC led to increased oil absorption, cooking loss, and oxidation. In contrast, VF115–VC resulted in the lowest hardness, oxidation, redness, and yellowness but the highest lightness among the fried nuggets. The conventional method of nugget processing showed the most negative effects on the qualitative and nutritional properties of the products. Additionally, a pressure change immediately after frying increased the moisture loss, oil absorption, porosity, and hardness. The findings suggest that the frying pressure should be maintained for some time during the cooling phase to avoid undesirable effects.