Comparative freezing study of broccoli and cauliflower: Effects of electrostatic field and static magnetic field

Abstract

The effects of 1, 3, 5 kV/cm electrostatic field (EF) and 2, 5, 8 mT static magnetic field (MF) on the quality of frozen broccoli and cauliflower (B and C) were studied. The freezing parameters were significantly improved by 3, 5 kV/cm EF or 8 mT MF treatment (P < 0.05), a maximum reduction of nucleation time and phase transition time by 20.14 % and 32.09 % was found in 5 kV/cm EF treated cauliflower. EF or MF treatment improved sample quality to some extent, the overall effect of 3 kV/cm EF was the best, which led to a maximum drip loss reduction of 64.3 % in cauliflower, accompanied by lower relative conductivity, higher ascorbic acid and less cell rupture. EF or MF did not significantly reduce the damage of the flavor. MF was less effective than EF in improving the quality of frozen B and C.