Many popular foods are prepared by battering and breading a substrate followed by deep-fat frying, also known as immersion frying. However, these foods are high in calories and fat. This has led to research on the reduction of fat absorption during immersion frying. This paper focuses on the use of functional ingredients, usually proteins or non-protein hydrocolloids, which can be incorporated into the batter and/ or breading, or applied as a post-breading dip to retard oil absorption. Protein ingredients from both animal and plant sources have been applied as films or in aqueous solutions to battered and breaded foods. Non-protein hydrocolloids such as cellulose derivatives, gums, calcium reactive pectins, and other plant-based flours have also been utilized. Due to the applied nature of the process and the potential economic impact, many of the ingredients and strategies presented here have been culled from the patent literature. This paper also describes three theories of oil absorption into fried foods; the waterreplacement mechanism, the cooling-phase effect, and the surfactant theory, and reviews research that reports the impact of oil absorption on the nutritional and textural properties of the battered and breaded foods.

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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that less than 35% of daily calories be contributed from fat. In fried foods, up to 75% of calories can be from fat. This study was undertaken to determine if oil absorption during frying could be inhibited in breaded chicken patties that were coated with egg white solutions before frying. In two different bread crumb systems, two different types of egg dips (fresh and dried egg white) were utilized. Color, texture, processing factors, lipid and moisture measurements were taken. Samples coated with Japanese bread crumbs treated with dried egg white dips adjusted to pH 3, 5, and 7 reduced lipid content by 27%, 15%, and 20%, respectively, compared with the untreated control. The reduction in lipid content was accompanied by an increase in moisture retention. These results suggest that fried food dipped in dried egg white before frying could exhibit reduced oil content. Practical Applications Reducing the fat content of fried meat patties could provide lower fat alternatives to normal deep fried foods that still retain the desirable characteristics that full fat foods provide. This could help to battle the growing trend of obesity in the U.S.

Producers of deep-fried foods seek new methods to lower the fat content of these foods. The effectiveness of edible films of proteins and carbohydrates and the addition of prefrying dips of egg white lower fat absorption. Common additions of chemicals to films called plasticizers allow them to improve distribution when coating a substrate and improve their water vapor permeability and mechanical properties. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of corn or oat fiber to an egg albumin solution will increase fat absorption inhibition that occurs in deep-fat frying compared to an egg albumin solution alone. Dipping chicken fritters in an egg white dip with no fiber present produced samples with the highest lipid reductions compared to the control. The addition of fiber to any of the dips did not produce a synergistic effect to reduce lipid absorption. The egg dip, 1%, and 2% fiber dip amounts were successful in reducing the lipid content compared to control, but not the 5% fiber dip amount. As the fiber dip concentration decreased for corn and oat fiber, lipid levels decreased. The addition of egg white, corn fiber, or oat fiber affected the color and texture of the fritters.Practical applications: Reducing the oil content of chicken fritters could provide lower fat alternatives to normal deep fried foods that still retain the desirable characteristics that full fat foods provide. If fat reduction below 35% calories from fat can be achieved, markets such as schools and healthcare that are currently restricted to these types of products could be opened.

Endometriosis is a common condition in which endometrial cells and stroma are deposited in extrauterine sites. Its prevalence has been estimated to be 10% of reproductive age females. It is commonly found in the pelvis; however, it may be found in the abdomen, thorax, brain, or skin. Thoracic involvement is a relatively rare presentation of this common disease. Thoracic endometriosis commonly presents as pneumothorax in 73% of patients. A rarer presentation of thoracic endometriosis is hemothorax (<14%) or hemoptysis (7%). Thoracic endometriosis is an uncommon cause of a pleural effusion. We present a case of 28-year-old African American female with no other medical conditions. She presented to the hospital with worsening right-sided pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, and menorrhagia. She had been complaining of pleuritic chest pain for 5 years, the onset of which corresponds to the start of her menstrual cycle and is relieved with cessation of menses. Initial laboratory studies revealed a severe microcytic anemia with normal coagulation profile. Chest X-ray showed small right pleural effusion and suspicious for airspace disease. A computed tomography (CT) of chest was ordered for further clarification and identified large right pleural effusion. CT-guided thoracentesis removed 500 ml of serosanguinous fluid consisting of blood elements. There can be multiple sites involved with endometriosis and can present with wide range of symptoms that occur periodically with menses in young woman. The history and pleural fluid findings of this case are suggestive of Thoracic Endometriosis Syndrome. The diagnosis of this is often missed or delayed by clinicians, which can result in recurrent hospitalization and other complications. As internists we should be suspicious of atypical presentations of endometriosis and treat them early before complications develop. This case also highlights the importance of suspecting atypical etiologies for pleural effusion.