Study on the thawing characteristics of beef in plasma-activated water

Abstract

Plasma-activated water (PAW) thawing and traditional water thawing were used to study the thawing characteristics and physicochemical properties of beef, and infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and other technologies were used as detection methods. The activation times of plasma-activated water (PAW) were 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 min, respectively. The results showed that, compared with traditional water thawing, the PAW thawing treatment could reduce the total number of bacteria in the meat by 0.5 log, and the medium itself had a more significant bactericidal effect of up to 1.7–2.6 log, and had no adverse effect on the color or pH of the beef. Moreover, PAW maintained the stability of beef fiber, improved the water-holding capacity, inhibited lipid oxidation, and reduced the loss of soluble substances such as proteins. Therefore, PAW thawing is a promising beef thawing technology that provides practical guidance and methods for the wider application of PAW in the field of beef thawing. Industrial relevanceThe thawing characteristics and physicochemical properties of beef by plasma-activated water (PAW) were investigated. It was found that PAW had a positive effect on decontamination bacteria, improving the water-holding capacity of beef, inhibiting lipid oxidation and maintaining the fiber structure of beef. The potential application of PAW in the thawing of frozen meat products was highlighted.