Abstract
The effects of a consecutive process of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment, sous-vide cooking, and reheating on the properties of beef semitendinosus muscle were investigated. Fresh meats were PEF-treated with different electric field strengths of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kV/cm, and then the control and PEF-pretreated beef samples were sous-vide cooked at 60 °C for up to 24 h. The PEF pretreatment resulted in tenderization of the fresh meat proportional to the increase in the electric field strength. A significant decrease in cutting force (by 35%) was observed after PEF treatment at 2.0 kV/cm. The hardness and chewiness of the meat were also significantly reduced by PEF treatment. After sous-vide cooking, the PEF-pretreated samples exhibited a significantly reduced cutting force, redness value (a*), and myoglobin content (mg/g) (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in cooking loss and drip loss (p > 0.05). When the sous-vide-cooked meats were reheated in an oven (230 °C, 5 min), the reduced cutting force induced by the PEF pretreatment was retained.
Highlights
The term “sous-vide” means “under vacuum” in French and is defined as raw materials or raw materials with intermediate foods that are cooked under controlled conditions of temperature and time inside a heat-stable, vacuumized pouch [1]
When the sous-vide-cooked meats were reheated in an oven (230 ◦ C, 5 min), the reduced cutting force induced by the Pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment was retained
Examples of low-field-strength applications include the use of PEF pretreatment for frying potatoes [10], PEF-assisted extraction of anthocyanin [11], PEF-assisted extraction of polyphenols [12], and accelerated dehydration of vegetables through increased mass transfer achieved via PEF pretreatment [13,14]
Summary
The term “sous-vide” means “under vacuum” in French and is defined as raw materials or raw materials with intermediate foods that are cooked under controlled conditions of temperature and time inside a heat-stable, vacuumized pouch [1]. The sous-vide method is a low temperature, long time treatment that inactivates microbial organisms in beef when heated above 60 ◦ C, and prevents recontamination though use of the vacuumed packaging [2]. There have been some attempts to combine non-thermal processes, such as ultrasound [4], gamma irradiation [5], and electron beams [6], with sous-vide cooking to improve the quality of the sous-vide-cooked meats. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has been adopted by the food industry due to its ability to control food spoilage, enhance mass transfer, and alter the textural properties while maintaining the quality of fresh foods. PEF is commonly operated at a field strength of 10 kV/cm or higher for non-thermal pasteurization of liquid foods, or at 1~5 kV/cm to improve the mass transfer and alter the textural properties of food materials. Examples of low-field-strength applications include the use of PEF pretreatment for frying potatoes [10], PEF-assisted extraction of anthocyanin [11], PEF-assisted extraction of polyphenols [12], and accelerated dehydration of vegetables through increased mass transfer achieved via PEF pretreatment [13,14]
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