Effect of feeding fat sources on the quality and composition of lipids of precooked ready-to-eat fried chicken patties

The effect of feeding fat sources on the quality and composition of lipids of raw meat and precooked ready-to-eat fried chicken patties was studied. Two homogeneous groups of broilers were fed with animal fats and vegetable oils, respectively. A traditional technology (flash-frying and humid steam-convection oven cooking) was employed to produce the patties. Lipid hydrolysis (total fatty acids, free fatty acids and diacylglycerols) and oxidation (peroxide value (POV) and cholesterol oxidation products (COPs)) were evaluated in the initial, intermediate and final products. Lipid hydrolysis and oxidation were more intense in ground raw meat obtained with animal and vegetable fat integration, respectively. However, these differences tended to decrease along the technological process, due to the addition of other ingredients and the oil absorption. Although flash-frying and humid steam-convection oven cooking promoted lipid degradation, the overall quality of the precooked chicken cutlets was acceptable (low POV and COPS values) and greatly depended on the quality of the raw meat and the frying oil.