Noodle Gluten Fryer (often called a Fried Gluten Ball Machine or Seitan Fryer) is used to produce "Fried Gluten" (Mian Jin), a popular high-protein vegetarian ingredient often found in Asian noodle dishes.

Unlike standard noodle machines that fry dough, this machine fries pure wheat gluten (seitan). Because gluten is highly elastic and expands rapidly into airy balls or strips, the fryer must have specific "immersion" controls.

1. Technical Process: From Gluten to Fried Balls

1. Gluten Washing: Flour is washed to remove starch, leaving behind the rubbery protein (Gluten).
2. Cutting/Forming: The wet gluten is snipped into small bits.
3. The Frying Line: * Low-Temp Zone: The gluten enters oil at a lower temperature (120C to 140 C ) to allow it to expand and "puff" without burning the surface.
• High-Temp Zone: The temperature increases to 170C to set the structure and give it a golden-brown, crispy exterior.

2. Machine Specifications (Continuous Type)

3. Key Challenges & Solutions

• Stickiness: Raw gluten is incredibly sticky. The machine uses a specialized "drop-in" feeder that oil-coats the pieces immediately, so they don't clump together.
• Expansion Space: The frying tunnel is deeper than a standard noodle fryer to accommodate the $3\times$ to $5\times$ expansion of the gluten balls.
• Oil Maintenance: High-protein frying can cause "foaming" in the oil. These machines include an Anti-Foaming Oil Circulation system.