Pulses in Batters & Breading

In batter, breading and coating systems, pulse ingredients provide a functional benefit similar to conventional flours, modified starches, gums, colourants and other ingredients while appealing to the consumer desire for simple ingredients that align with many “free-from” claims.

In the right ratios, the addition of pulse ingredients can also improve the nutritional profile of the end product. The heat generated during frying can remove off-flavours typically associated with raw flours and creates a savoury note that is complementary to fried products.

Research out of Red River College’s Prairie Research Kitchen demonstrated the impact of lentil flour on color development in french fries.

Research at the Manitoba Food Development Centre evaluated the incorporation of pea ingredients in wheat and gluten-free mozzarella crumbs to replace modified starches, flour, gluten and gums in a six-step coating system with high-melt cheese¹.

Reformulated mozzarella sticks more than doubled their total dietary fibre content. The addition of pea ingredients significantly increased batter viscosity, providing the opportunity to substitute gums, gluten and modified starch from the control formulation.

The substitution of modified corn resulted in more product moisture retained after frying and decreased weight loss over time in the final, fully fried products. This is hypothesized to be due to protein and amylose contributing to coating strength through the formation of a barrier under and between batter layers. These improvements to coating structure and strength were also demonstrated in mozzarella sticks subjected to temperature abuse through two freeze-thaw cycles, in which higher cooking yields were reported.

Reformulated mozzarella sticks also demonstrated great potential for food service operating conditions. A softer and more melted internal cheese texture was obtained after 45 minutes of holding under a heat lamp. Slight cost savings could also be obtained through the removal of ingredients like gums and gluten and replacement with pea flour, starch and fibre.

Research at the Manitoba Food Development Centre evaluated the use of pulse ingredients in wheat-based and gluten-free onion rings to replace modified starch, flour, gluten, whey and guar gum¹. The addition of pea ingredients required more water to be hydrated into the batter to achieve a similar cook yield and appearance to the control, approximately 1 part dry to 1.7-1.8 parts water produced a smooth batter with good handling properties.

The addition of pea fibre into the formulation allowed the onion rings to reach fibre content claims. Note that fibre claims may vary depending on regional jurisdictions.

A ten-person trained sensory panel detected higher levels of beany notes due to the high concentrations of pea flour in the formulation. However, this was perceived as a positive savoury background note complementing the onion ring flavour.

Research conducted at the Manitoba Food Development Centre (2013) evaluated the effects of whole and dehulled yellow pea and red lentil flour in the coating system of chicken nuggets to replace wheat flour².

A golden-brown coating was obtained and the addition of pea flour increased the perceived crispiness and the retention of crispiness over 60 minutes.

Most pea flours increased the batter viscosity relative to the control and increased fat absorption after frying due to increased total coating pick-up and, as a result, high product yields despite decreases in total moisture content.

The batter viscosity was found to increase with red lentil flour addition into the formulation. Due to the colour of the hull, whole lentil flours produced a much darker, reddish brown coloured coating which may not be desirable to the consumer, therefore a dehulled red lentil flour is recommended. Many of the chicken nuggets containing lentil flour scored higher in overall quality over a 60-minute holding time under a heat lamp, rated as extremely to very crispy by a ten-person sensory panel compared to the slightly crispy control.

For both pea and lentil, the frying process was successful in eliminating off-flavours associated with the raw flour and contributed to the addition of savoury notes that have the potential to reduce salt and seasonings in the coating formulations.

Research out of Red River College’s Prairie Research Kitchen evaluated the use of lentil flour (raw, deflavoured, dehulled) in the batter of fried chicken thighs to substitute 20-40% of wheat flour in formulation³.

Sensory evaluation of the prepared chicken thighs noted an increase in coating firmness and coating crispiness in samples formulated with deflavoured flour. No detectable off-flavours were noted even when raw flours were incorporated and a desirable golden-brown colour was obtained. Chicken thighs were held either at 50^oC under a heat lamp or at room temperature in a clamshell container, during which samples formulated with lentil flour were subjectively more capable of retaining their texture despite inconsistencies in instrumental texture analysis because of inconsistent sample size.

Optimized chicken thigh formulations were developed at a 30% lentil flour inclusion rate where additional moisture was required to develop a coating with desired flaky characteristics. A major benefit to the inclusion of lentil flour was the ability to reduce the cooking time by 25% while still achieving an internal cook temperature of 90^o‑C because of the rapid colour development of the product.

Research out of Red River College’s Prairie Research Kitchen evaluated the use of lentil flour (raw, deflavoured, dehulled ) in the coatings of chicken tenders to substitute 20-40% of wheat flour in formulation³.

The inclusion of lentil flour resulted in greater pre-dust and breading pick-up as compared to the control. During the sensory panel, chicken tenders formulated with lentil flour demonstrated increases in colour, coating crispiness, coating crunchiness and overall quality and texture. The development of a golden-brown coating colour was noted as evenly distributed and eliminated the need to include dairy-based ingredients in the formulation.

Instrumental texture analysis confirmed the results of the sensory panel in that chicken tenders formulated with lentil flour were crispier and able to retain their texture over an hour-long storage period under a heat lamp. When stored in a clamshell take-out container, control samples demonstrated a loss in texture at around 30 minutes of holding at room temperature whereas lentil flour systems did not demonstrate this dip in texture suggesting that lentil flour inclusion helps to retain texture. Optimized chicken tender formulations were able to substitute 40% of wheat with lentil flour where additional moisture was required to develop a crisp, flaky and golden-brown appearance.

Inclusion of lentil flour allowed for rapid colour development without the use of milk or egg ingredients which resulted in a decreased cook time while still maintaining a safe internal cook temperature.

The same study from Red River College examined the performance of red lentil flour in fried fish tenders. The addition of lentil flour into the coating system resulted in a deeper golden-brown color than the control.

Replacement or partial substitution with pulse ingredients in batter, breading and coating systems have consistently demonstrated improvements to the overall final product texture by creating a crispier and crunchier product. This is thought to be due to the higher amylose content of the starch present in pulses in comparison to other commercial ingredients. The reassociation of amylose after starch gelatinization is responsible for the formation of a strong, gel-like structure within the batter that contributes to the initial bite and crispness of the product.

The effect of starch in enhancing final product texture was particularly evident in the chicken thigh and tender products reformulated with deflavoured red lentil flour. Commercial deflavouring technologies typically apply combinations of moisture and heat which results in partial gelatinization of the starch prior to its incorporation in the end product. When incorporated into fried chicken products, the deflavoured red lentil flour was even more successful than its raw counterpart in improving crispiness, where starch gelatinization properties were the only distinguishing factor between the two flours as determined by physicochemical analysis³. Furthermore, incorporation of pulse ingredients into formulation has also been demonstrated to maintain the desired crispy texture over extended storage under a heat lamp or take-out container and is therefore a promising ingredient for the foodservice industry.

The high protein content (18-30%) of pulse flours promotes colour development through non-enzymatic browning (Maillard reaction) and results in an evenly distributed golden-brown colour. Batters and breading systems formulated with pulse ingredients are able to rapidly develop the desired colour so that cook times can be reduced while still obtaining safe internal cooking temperatures indicating the potential to increase product throughput. Because of their effects on final product colour, the inclusion of pulse ingredients in formulation eliminates the need for other colorants such as corn flour, caramel colour, milk and egg ingredients.

Demonstrates ability of dehulled, deflavoured red lentil flour to eliminate milk ingredients required for browning. From left to right: control with water wash, control with milk wash, and 20-40% deflavoured lentil flour inclusion with water wash. Note the even browning of lentil flour tenders where the milk wash contains some darkened, uneven bits.³

Protein, starch and fibre present in pulse ingredients have the ability to absorb or bind water and therefore can be used as a thickening agent to increase the overall viscosity of the system. As a result, these ingredients may be used to replace conventional thickening agents such as gums or modified starches which are not perceived by consumers as clean-label friendly. The high batter viscosity allows for increased hydration, in which more water can be added to produce a similar viscosity to control formulations, introducing potential cost savings. However, additional water is not incorporated, the higher viscosity of batters, breadings and coatings formulated with pulse ingredients has been demonstrated to increase batter pick-up.

Batter pick up and viscosity of French fries (n=4) incorporating pea ingredients. Means with different letter headings are significantly different from one another (p<0.05).¹

Pre dust and breading pick up for chicken tenders formulation with dehulled red lentil flour.³

1. Unpublished data from Manitoba Food Development Centre (2012). Evaluation of pea starch in the development of functional coatings using pea ingredients for French fry, mozzarella stick and onion ring applications. Funded by Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund Ltd. Project 2010F077R.
2. Unpublished data from Manitoba Food Development Centre (2013). Effect of milling treatment on performance of pea and lentil flours in a tempura battered chicken nugget application. Submitted to Canadian International Grains Institute & Pulse Canada. Project 3590.
3. Unpublished data from Prairie Research Kitchen, Red River College (2021. Performance of lentil flour as a batter and breading agent for fried chicken, fish and potato products. Submitted to Pulse Canada and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.