Abstract
The effects of microwave energy and conventional convective heating on bovine meat were studied in the mid-infrared region by FTIR spectroscopy, to highlight the differences between the two cooking methods. Samples of 100 g of bovine breast meat were cooked using three treatments: heating in a conventional electric oven at the temperature of 165°C for 16 min, heating in a microwave oven at 800 W for 95 sec, and heating in the same microwave oven at 650 W for 160 sec. Significant decreases in intensity of vibration bands of CH2 methylene group at 1921 and 1853 cm-1 and of the carbonyl band at 1742 cm-1 were observed after microwave heating with respect to heating in a conventional oven, showing that Maillard reaction occurs partially using microwave oven. Spectral analysis in the amide I region after microwave cooking at 800 W for 95 sec showed that an increase in intensity occurred in the region from 1665 to 1690 cm-1 which can be attributed to β-turns, characteristic of disorder processes in the protein. Further analysis after microwave cooking at 650 W for 160 sec evidenced major increase in intensity of β-turns content and the appearance of significant increases of β-sheet component at 1635 cm-1 and 1695 cm-1 that can be attributed to aggregated β-sheets structures.
Highlights
The aims of cooking food are several
Comparison of the spectra in the range 1750 - 1600 cm–1 reveals that the major changes upon conventional heat treatment occur around 1740 cm–1, where a broad band can be observed in the spectrum from breast meat cooked in the conventional oven, whereas this band appeared less prominent for meat samples cooked in the microwave oven at 800 W for 95 sec
The band close to 2960 originate from the asymmetric stretching νasCH3 of methyl groups, whereas vibration bands around 2921 and 2853 cm–1 are assigned to symmetric and asymmetric bending νsCH2 and νasCH2 of methylene, respectively [20,21]. Both bands of methylene group were clearly observed in spectra after cooking using the conventional electric oven, whereas their intensity after microwave oven cooking decreased in proportion to the cooking time, as can be observed in Figure 4
Summary
The aims of cooking food are several. Cooking improves natural flavour and texture of food, improving its digestibility. Cooking food to a required temperature for a required time can destroy all harmful microorganisms in food. Quality of protein may be reduced due to destruction of certain aminoacids during cooking. Many physical and chemical reactions occur during food preparation. These reactions are a result of the interaction between food components and the environmental conditions like heat, light, air and materials that are used during cooking process
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
