A new enzymatic approach was introduced to reduce the oil uptake of batter-coated fried foods. Crosslinking (transglutaminase) and cell wall-degrading (viscozyme) enzymes were incorporated into the formulation of wheat flour-based frying batters, and their rheological/oil-resisting effects were evaluated. The transglutaminase treatment increased the pasting viscosities of wheat flour whereas viscozyme distinctly reduced these properties. The batters treated with transglutaminase exhibited the highest steady-shear viscosity, followed by the control and viscozyme-treated samples. Dynamic viscoelastic results showed that transglutaminase improved the elastic properties of frying batters, while their viscous characteristics became more dominant when viscozyme was used. These rheological features were favorably correlated with the adhesive properties of batters. During frying, the moisture loss of frying batters was retarded by transglutaminase. The incorporation of transglutaminase reduced the oil uptake of frying batters by 19.6%, thus contributing to the enhancement of the oil-barrier property. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.