A Comparative Study of Physical Quality, Nutritional Composition, and Sensory Evaluation of Deep-fried and Air-fried Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Fish-shaped Samosa which is Attractive and Healthier for Consumption

Abstract

Studies were conducted to ascertain the effects of air-frying and deep-frying on the quality, nutritional composition, and sensory evaluations of fish samosa. Sample groups for the experiment were as follows: R1, sample deep-fried; and R2, sample air-fried. The factors determinant included, among others, color (L*, a*, b*), pH, oil absorption, moisture, protein, fat, ash, and all sensory characteristics, as appearance, flavor, texture, aroma, and overall acceptability. The findings confirmed that air-fried samosas absorbed less oil, by a lot (10.47 ± 0.45%), against deep-fried samosas, which contained 18.18 ± 0.02% oil, and implied that the health prospect was better here. Marginal difference in contribution of moisture content was lower for air-fried samples than for deep-fried samples (47 ± 0.87% and 48 ± 0.85% moisture, respectively) while both contained similar amounts of protein and ash. Air-fried samosas also showed a characteristic golden hue in color analysis, whereas both methods of processing showed no significant difference in pH, indicating that little chemical change occurred. Sensory evaluation indicated the greater acceptability of air-fried samosas over deep-fried samosas in terms of appearance, taste, texture, and overall acceptability. Thus, air frying can be used as an alternative to deep frying because it produces healthier fish samosas with less fat content, a more nutritional value, and more acceptability in the products.