Egg yolk phospholipids: a functional food material to generate deep‐fat frying odorants

BACKGROUND Phospholipids are an important precursor for the generation of carbonyl compounds that play a significant role in the characteristic aroma of deep‐fat fried foods. RESULTS Phospholipids extracted from hen egg yolks were added into sunflower oil (2.0 g kg−1) and heated with or without chicken meat at 160 °C for 10 min, and then dynamic headspace extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to extract and analyse the volatiles. The results showed that the characteristic deep‐fat frying odorants, such as (E,E)‐2,4‐decadienal and (E,Z)‐2,4‐decadienal, as well as 1‐octen‐3‐one, (E)‐2‐nonenal, octanal, methional, dimethyl disulfide and alkylpyrazines, had increased by 3–65 times in the sunflower oil with added phospholipids, and increased up to six times in chicken meat that had been treated with phospholipids prior to heating. CONCLUSION There is potential for the food industry to use low levels of phospholipids, particularly egg yolk phospholipids, to increase deep‐fat frying odorants in a wide range of deep‐fried products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry