The ‘breakthrough innovation’ can enhance crumb-coated chicken, meat, veggie or cheese snacks – some of the most popular snacks worldwide, Peter Smees, business development managers, told BakeryandSnacks.
“Snacking is an emerging global trend, so there is a real need to make snack products healthier without compromising on taste and texture,” said Christien van Beusekom, chief technical officer at Crisp Sensation. “With ZeroFry, we also tackle the issue of acrylamide in fried products by offering safe alternatives.”
ZeroFry has applications for both retail products designed for home ovens and quick-service restaurants seeking healthier alternatives, said Smees.
The coating lets foods maintain an gold-brown crust and ‘juicy core’ while containing fewer calories and less fat.
For example, a 100g serving of pre-fried then deep-fried chicken nuggets contains 12.7g of fat and more than 1g of saturated fat. Comparatively, the same serving of nuggets cooked in ZeroFry contain 4.4g of fat and only a half-gram of saturated fat. The latter clocks in at 181 calories – 27% lower than a standard fry.
For manufacturers, omitting the need for deep fryers clears up space on the production floor. The new coating can be applied on the same line alongside an oil sprayer. In addition to being safer than deep-frying, using ZeroFry significantly cuts oil, energy and cleaning costs.
Consumers can cook ZeroFry-coated foods in an oven, air-fryer or Turbochef. Even airplanes can take advantage of the coating using an impingement oven, a convection-like oven that uses forced air to trap heat.
“With this safe and tasty solution, snack manufacturers around the globe can easily adjust their range to modern nutrition needs,” added Van Beusekom.