Abstract
This study investigated the effects of ultrasonication on thawing rate, physicochemical properties, water migration, distribution and microstructure of pork at different frequency combination modes (mono-, dual- or tri-frequency sequential and simultaneous modes). The results showed that ultrasonic-assisted thawing increased the thawing rate and shortened the thawing time by 26.72–64.99 % compared to water immersion thawing, and inhibited the lipid oxidation. Regarding the quality characteristics of frozen pork, the samples thawed by combined tri-frequency sequential ultrasound mode (TSEU) at 20/50/35 kHz exhibited better water retention (lower thawing loss and cooking loss) and physicochemical quality (lowest hardness, highest tenderness, lower TBARS values). Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance results displayed that the mobility and loss of bound and free water in pork tissue reduced effectively after ultrasound treatment at 20/50/35 kHz. The microstructure analysis revealed that the microstructure of pork thawed by 20/50/35 kHz was closest to that of fresh meat, and the distribution of muscle fibers was close and regular. Therefore, TSEU at 20/50/35 kHz was considered to be the most appropriate treatment for pork thawing, which could significantly accelerate the thawing rate and maintaining the meat quality.
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