Effect of pre-drying and post-frying holding treatments on the oil absorption and quality of fried batter-coated peanuts

[Display omitted] •Pre-drying treatment reduced the oil content of the fried batter by up to 5.45%.•Pre-drying treatment changed the oil distribution of batter in batter-coated peanuts.•Post-frying holding treatment improved the fracturability of batter-coated peanuts.•A short pre-drying treatment improved the color of fried batter-coated peanuts. In this study, the effect of pre-drying and post-frying holding treatments on the oil absorption and the quality of the fried batter-coated peanuts were explored. The results showed that hot air drying and microwave drying induced the gelatinization of starch in the batter before frying. The thermodynamic properties of starch in the batter after frying indicated that pre-drying could protect the orderliness of the starch. CLSM images showed that the pre-drying treatment reduced the number of large oil spots on the surface of batter of fried batter-coated peanuts. SEM observation revealed that the structure of the batter treated with pre-drying was denser and the number of large pores was reduced after frying. The post-frying holding treatment improved the color and texture of the batter-coated peanuts. In conclusion, the pre-drying and post-frying holding treatment can reduce the oil content and improve the fracturability of the fried batter-coated peanuts.