CHOLESTEROL AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF CHANNEL CATFISH (ICTALURUS-PUNCTATUS) FILLETS CHANGES FOLLOWING COOKING BY MICROWAVE-HEATING, DEEP-FAT FRYING, AND OVEN BAKING

Effects of microwave heating, deep-fat frying, and conventional oven b aking on proximate composition and concentration of cholesterol in cha nnel catfish fillets were examined. The paired fillet technique was em ployed to control the variability among fish. A total of fifteen catfi sh were randomly assigned to the three cooking methods. All cooking pr ocedures resulted in moisture loss. Fillets that were deep-fat fried s howed the lowest moisture content but the highest fat content, respect ively, among three cooking methods. The three cooking methods, on a dr y weight basis, all significantly affected cholesterol concentration o f cooked catfish compared with raw fillets. Deep-fat frying resulted i n a significant decrease of cholesterol and showed the lowest concentr ation of cholesterol among three cooking methods probably due to leach ing of cholesterol into frying oil.