Thawing Loss Research Articles

The Effect of Pressure-Shift Freezing versus Air Freezing and Liquid Immersion on the Quality of Frozen Fish during Storage.

In this study, a self-cooling laboratory system was used for pressure–shift freezing (PSF), and the effects of pressure–shift freezing (PSF) at 150 MPa on the quality of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) during frozen storage at −30 °C were evaluated and compared with those of conventional air freezing (CAF) and liquid immersion freezing (LIF). The evaluated thawing loss and cooking loss of PSF were significantly lower than those of CAF and LIF during the whole frozen storage period. The thawing loss, L* value, b* value and TBARS of the frozen fish increased during the storage. After 28 days storage, the TBARS values of LIF and CAF were 0.54 and 0.65, respectively, significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the 0.25 observed for PSF. The pH of the samples showed a decreasing trend at first but then increased during the storage, and the CAF had the fastest increasing trend. Based on Raman spectra, the secondary structure of the protein in the PSF-treated samples was considered more stable. The α-helix content of the protein in the unfrozen sample was 59.3 ± 7.22, which decreased after 28 days of frozen storage for PSF, LIF and CAF to 48.5 ± 3.43, 39.1 ± 2.35 and 33.4 ± 4.21, respectively. The results showed that the quality of largemouth bass treated with PSF was better than LIT and CAF during the frozen storage.

The Investigation of Protein Profile and Meat Quality in Bovine Longissimus thoracic Frozen under Different Temperatures by Data-Independent Acquisition (DIA) Strategy.

The influence of freezing on the protein profile and quality traits in bovine Longissimus thoracic (LT) muscle was investigated by the data-independent acquisition (DIA) technique. Compared to fresh meat, a total of 262 proteins were identified as differential abundance proteins (DAPs) in four frozen groups (−12 °C, −18 °C, −38 °C, and −80 °C). According to the bioinformatics analysis, most of the DAPs in the significant Go terms and the KEGG pathway were structure proteins and enzymes. Proteome changes in the frozen bovine muscle at −12 °C and −18 °C were more significant than those at −38 °C and −80 °C. The result was consistent with the deterioration trend of the meat quality. The correlation analysis revealed that 17 proteins were correlated closely with the color, shear force, thawing loss, and cooking loss of the frozen meat, which could be used as putative biomarkers for frozen meat quality. MYO18A and ME3 are newly discovered proteins that are associated with frozen beef quality. In addition, CTTN and SERPINB6 were identified in frozen groups, which exhibited a significant inverse correlation with thawing loss (p < 0.01). These findings reveal the quality changes induced by freezing at the protein molecular level and provide new insights into the control of quality deterioration.

Effects of single-, dual-, and multi-frequency ultrasound-assisted freezing on the muscle quality and myofibrillar protein structure in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea).

Ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF) has been proved to be a new technology to improve the quality of frozen foods. Frequency is an important parameter affecting UAF result. This study was to investigate the effects of single-, dual- and multi-frequency UAF on muscle quality and myofibrillar protein structure in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), providing reference for the application of multi-frequency UAF in frozen foods. Multi-frequency UAF increased the freezing rate and had lower thawing loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, and higher immobilized water content. Multi-frequency UAF had lower carbonyl, higher sulfhydryl content, and more stable myofibrillar protein secondary and tertiary structures. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicated that the filamentous polymer in muscle fibrin solution with multi-frequency UAF was transformed into more evenly distributed units. In general, multi-frequency UAF significantly improved the freezing rate, reduced lipid oxidation, and maintained the myofibrillar structure.

On the emerging of thawing drip: Role of myofibrillar protein renaturation

This study aimed to facilitate the understanding on the origin of thawing drip under different freezing rate. Eventually we observed significantly greater thaw loss produced by slow freezing (8.58%) as compared to fast freezing (6.41%) after 24 h of thawing. Back to the freezing, ice crystallization induced decline in pH and the cold denaturation of myofibrillar protein. However, independent of freezing rate, we noticed protein renaturation with pH restoring during thawing, evidenced by the decreasing surface hydrophobicity, increasing solubility and thermal stability, and gradually stabilized secondary structure. Meanwhile, the water-holding of myofibrils increased with thawing process along with the rising water mobility. Under fast freezing, the results indicated less extensive protein cold denaturation and lower water mobility during thawing. Besides, we proposed that the microenvironment of lower ionic strength in fast freezing should benefit the protein renaturation and water re-absorption, ultimately contributed to lower thaw loss.

Effect Adding Different Levels of Lemongrass Leaves Powder to the Dietary on the Meat Traits of Broilers

This study was conducted in broiler field / college of Agriculture/ Tikrit University during 9-4 to 14-5-2019 to know the effect of adding lemongrass leaves powder to the dietary on meats traits of broilers. 135 chicks Ross-308 were distributed randomly to three treatments, each treatment divided into three replicates (15 birds per replicate). T1 was standard treatment; T2 and T3 were added 1g and 2g of lemongrass per one kg of diet, respectively. The results showed a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in T2 compared with other treatments in cooking loss and water holding capacity, otherwise, T2 increased significantly (P≤0.05) in the thawing loss compared with T1, the treatments did not differ significantly in the dripping loss. T2 and T3 increased significantly in protein percentage compared with T1, while these treatments were decreased significantly (P≤0.05) compared with T1 in the fat and moisture percentages, the per cent of meat ash did not differ significantly among treatments. The Peroxide Value, Thiobarbituric acid and Free Fatty Acids significantly increased (P≤0.05) in T2 and T3 compared with T1. The percentage of all fatty acids like linoleic, oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic increased significantly (P≤0.05) in T2 and T3 compared with T1. We conclude from this study that adding lemongrass powder to broiler diets improved most of the physical and chemical traits of meat.

A potential spoilage bacteria inactivation approach on frozen fish.

Frozen products are more susceptible to microbial spoilage during thawing. Therefore, the development of a thawing technology with effective bacteriostasis is still urgent in food science. In this study, red sea bream was used as the research object, S. putrefaciens was incubated on the surface of fish fillets, and ultrasound plus high voltage electric field (US&HVEF) was performed to investigate the antibacterial activity. On this basis, the effect of US&HVEF thawing on the quality characteristics of fillets was further studied. The results indicated that US&HVEF showed a better antibacterial performance toward S. putrefaciens, with the lethality of 96.73%. Furthermore, US&HVEF could minimize thawing loss, preserve fillets texture, stabilize the secondary and tertiary conformation of myofibrillar protein (MFP), and inhibit the MFP aggregation and oxidation. Accordingly, this study shows that food safety also involves spoilage bacteria prevention except for quality and proves that US&HVEF technology has great potential in food thawing.

Effect of Aging Time of Squabs on Microbiological Characteristics and Quality Attributes of Their Meat

ABSTRACT The quality of squab meat subjected to “faisandage” treatment during the usual aging time was evaluated through the evolution of microbial and physicochemical properties. Twenty-seven whole squabs (young pigeon) were slaughtered, hung, and stored at 0–4°C in a cooling chamber. After 0, 7, and 14 aging days, the carcasses of squabs were obtained to carry out different analyses (total viable bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli (E. coli) counts, detection of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7, and pH, thaw and cooking losses, and shear force). In general, the squab meat subjected to “faisandage” treatment over 7 or 14 days at 0–4°C presented microbiological quality and physicochemical properties similar to that squab meat from day 0. The values of thaw losses, shear force, and pH obtained in this study allowed to distinguish among squab meat aging during 7 or 14 days and meat squab without aging.

Effects of pulsed electric field-assisted thawing on the characteristics and quality of Pekin duck meat

We determined the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF)-assisted thawing on the texture and muscle tissue of Pekin duck meat. The results indicated that 1–4 kV/cm of PEF shortened the thawing time by 20%–50%. Furthermore, 1–3 kV/cm of PEF-assisted thawing reduced the effect of thawing on meat quality, decreased thawing loss by 28% and protein loss by 19%, and maintained meat quality similar to that of fresh meat. Using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, we confirmed that PEF stabilized the water retention capacity of muscle tissues during thawing. Microstructure and secondary structure analyses revealed that PEF accelerated the melting of ice crystals, reducing the damage caused by ice crystals by 70% and maintaining the stability of the α-helix and β-sheet. These results revealed the potential of PEF-assisted methods for use in thawing meat.

Impact of Ultrasound-assisted Saline Thawing on the Technological Properties of mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the positive effect of ultrasound-assisted saline thawing (UST) on the technological properties (water mobility, water holding capacity, colour, pH, shear force, TVB-N, oxidation reaction and microstructure) of mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). The results present in the study showed that different thawing methods had negative impacts on the quality of mirror carp to varying degrees. Among them, UST samples had significant lower thawing loss, centrifugal loss and cooking loss than ultrasound thawing (UT) and air thawing (AT) samples (P < 0.05). The analysis result of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance illustrated that UST inhibited the mobility and distribution of water effectively. Decrease in shear force and TVBN values were observed in all thawing samples, and the UST samples maintained the significant better texture property and freshness than UT and AT samples did (P < 0.05). In addition, the treatment of UST obtained 1% salt concentration inhibited the oxidation reactions effectively. Investigation of the microstructure of samples demonstrated that the treatment of UST kept the relatively complete structure of tissue than other thawing methods. Therefore, UST can be an alternative strategy to the traditional thawing of meat.

Effect of Concentrations of Basil Seed Gum on the Sensory Properties of Chicken Sausage

Chicken meat is a low-fat, high-protein food that is increasingly growing in popularity around the world. Therefore, various food ingredients have been added to improve the characteristics of the chicken sausage. Among them, Basil seed gum (BSG) was extracted, and the effect of adding it in percentages of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 % was studied as- a partial replacement- for animal fat in processed sausages and its effect on the proximate composition, sensory and quality characteristics of chicken sausages. The yield of gum extract was 17.5% on a dry-weight basis. Moreover, the results of analyzing the proximate composition of prepared sausage showed an increase in the moisture, protein, and ash percentage. However, the percentage of fat, carbohydrates, and caloric value in them decreased. The results also showed increased water holding capacity, emulsion stability, and cooking yield in the prepared sausages. In contrast, the percentage of cooking loss and loss of thaw loss decreased. It was also noted that the peroxide value, free fatty acids, and cholesterol decreased by increasing the concentration of gum added, up to 2%. Besides that, the addition of gum concentrations resulted in a clear improvement in the sensory characteristics and acceptability of the assessor, especially colour, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability. It can be concluded from this research that the possibility of using BSG as a fat replacer to manufacture low-fat chicken sausages, which contributes to reducing the cost of sausage mixtures and giving a healthy, low-calorie product.

Influence of using low voltage electrostatic field during freezing and thawing processes on beef quality

This study examined the effects of LVEF-assisted freezing-thawing on beef loin (Longissimus dorsi) quality and texture. In this work, the quality of beef specimens at 15, 30, and 45 cm from the LVEF plate (test group) and without LVEF treatment (control group) was examined during freezing-thawing. LVEF aided freezing (LVEFF) sped up beef freezing and thawing by 32.46% and 32.60% at 30 cm layer spacing (LVEF-30). LVEF30 created the smallest, most homogeneous ice crystals and less injured muscle fibre tissue. SEM indicated that LVEF30 preserved muscle fibre and perimysium structure, and muscle fibre gaps did not expand. Z-line and M-line were generally intact, while A-band and I-band were distinct and readable, indicating that LVEF30 preserved myo􀂿 brillar structure efficiently. LVEF30’s L*, a*, and C values were substantially higher than the control group (P0.05) and fresh meat (P0.05). LVEF-30 reduced thawing loss, cooking loss, and drip protein content by 52.10%, 31.313%, and 15.97%. In conclusion, LVEF can improve the quality of thawed beef by reducing quality loss during freezing-thawing, and 30 cm is the best distance from the electrostatic field generation plate.

Myofibrillar Protein Interacting with Trehalose Elevated the Quality of Frozen Meat.

This work studied the interactions between trehalose/chitooligosaccharide (COS) and myofibrillar protein (MP), and the effect of such interactions on the quality of meat after freezing was also evaluated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that both trehalose and COS could enhance the content of hydrogen bonds of MP. Zeta potential measurement displayed trehalose/COS reduced the absolute value of the surface potential of MP. The results of Raman spectroscopy suggested that the hydrophobic residues of MP were more exposed after treatment with trehalose/COS. Thus, trehalose and COS could both interact with MP through non-covalent bonds. Subsequently, the evaluation of the effect of trehalose and COS on the physicochemical properties of frozen meat was conducted. Results showed that both trehalose and COS significantly reduced thawing loss of frozen meat, and sensory evaluation showed that trehalose had a better performance from the perspective of smell, texture, and overall consumer acceptance. In conclusion, trehalose/COS interacting with MP can reduce meat thawing loss, which might provide technical guidance in the quality control of frozen meat.

Application of infrared and microwave heating prior to freezing of pork: Effect on frozen meat quality

The effect of thermal treatment using infrared and microwave fields on freezing of pork loin was investigated. Several infrared and microwave treatment protocols were designed and tested to determine the thawing losses is each case to identify the most suitable one which yielded the best quality. In addition, the state of moisture in the meat, cooking loss, texture, color, pH, Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and other indicators were also evaluated. The results show that both microwave and infrared pre-dehydration can reduce the thawing loss of pork loin; the minimum loss is only about 1.7% using microwave 50 W intensity of 1.92 W/g of wet pork. Pre-dehydration also reduced the hardness of all samples and increased springiness, cohesiveness, and resilience. It is noteworthy that pretreatment did not damage the color. Based on the results of this study it is concluded that thermal pretreatment using microwave or infrared fields of appropriate strength prior to freezing can yield good quality frozen pork meat.

Changes in Quality Traits and Oxidation Stability of Syzygium aromaticum Extract-Added Cooked Ground Beef during Frozen Storage.

This study was accomplished by comparing the oxidative stability of (0.1%) Syzygium aromaticum extract (SAE) and (0.02%) butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-added cooked ground beef with an antioxidant free-control sample during frozen storage. All samples showed a non-significant (p > 0.05) effect on pH, thawing loss, redness, and yellowness values during storage. Incorporation of BHT and SAE led to a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and volatile levels as an active antioxidant. The generation of less volatiles found in SAE-treated samples up to 6 months (p < 0.05) of storage. Therefore, SAE-protected ground beef can lead to lower lightness, lipid oxidation, and volatile compounds levels after cooking compared with control and BHT samples.

Effects of tea polyphenols on the quality of common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) meat during the freezing process and its action mechanism

In this research, the effects and action mechanism of tea polyphenols (TP) on the quality of common carp meat during the freezing process were investigated. During the freezing process, TP could reduce the thawing loss of carp meat and improve its texture properties. Moreover, TP showed the remarkable capability to inhibit protein denaturation and enhance the thermal stability of the myofibrillar protein (MP) in carp meat. In addition, by the observation of fluorescence spectrum and Fourier transform-infrared spectrum, the tertiary and secondary structures of MP could be obviously changed with the treatment of TP. Furthermore, according to the analysis of molecular docking, TP could interact tightly with MP by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, which changed the spatial structure of MP and affected the quality of carp meat. All present results suggested that TP had a potential value to improve the quality of common carp meat during the freezing process. In the present study, TP could reduce the thawing loss of carp meat and improve its texture properties during the freezing process by interacting with carp's MP. All results suggest that TP have the potential to improve the quality of common carp meat during the freezing process. Novelty impact statement In present study, tea polyphenols could reduce the thawing loss of carp meat and improve its texture properties during freezing process by interacting with carp's myofibrillar protein. All results suggest that tea polyphenols have the potential to improve the quality of common carp meat during freezing process.

Phase change material‐assisted freezing of tuna: Impact on freezing process and thawing loss

AbstractDue to slow freezing, freezing fresh fish in a chest freezer often leads to deterioration while products are thawed. Many approaches have been conducted to deal with it. One of them is the application of Phase Change Material (PCM) in refrigeration systems. This study aims to investigate the ability of PCM to accelerate the freezing of fish in the household freezers. The tuna used was stored in the freezer with PCM, which was put on a surface wall cabinet then compared with storage in the freezer without PCM. Besides, the door of the freezer was also opened frequently (three times a day, 1 hr each time) to find out the effect of fluctuating temperatures and freezing operations for 60 hr. The parameters observed include the evolution temperature of the air cabinet and fish, energy consumption of the freezer, and thawing loss. Results showed that PCM accelerated the cooling rate of air cabinets and fish but could not suppress the fluctuation temperature. The quality of the frozen tuna improved, which was indicated by a decreased thawing loss parameter from 3.10% to 1.76%. Overall, this finding revealed PCM has significant potential to improve the fish freezing process.Practical ApplicationsThe household chest freezer is widely used to freeze fish by small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). The most important factors in freezer preferences are simple operations and low energy consumption. But, the freezer worked at slow freezing, which caused higher thawing losses of the product. Hence, the application of PCM to the household freezer potentially improves the freezing process of the fish. So, sellers and retailers of fish could maintain their products without replacing the freezer with an advanced one.

Effects of multiple freeze–thaw cycles on meat quality, nutrients, water distribution and microstructure in bovine rumen smooth muscle

SummaryThis study investigated the effect of 5 freeze–thaw cycles (freezing at −18°C for 12 h and then thawing at 4°C for approximately 12 h) on the meat quality, proximate composition, water distribution and microstructure of bovine rumen smooth muscle (BSM). As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increased, BSM pH, shear force, water content and protein content decreased by 3.06%, 35.50%, 14.49% and 21.11%, respectively, whereas BSM thawing loss, cooking loss, pressing loss, total aerobic count (TAC), ash content and fat content increased by 108.12%, 47.75%, 78.33%, 90.99%, 105% and 35.20%, respectively. The freeze–thaw cycles resulted in greater protein and lipid oxidation, as evidenced by a 36.46% reduction in the sulfhydryl content and a 209.06% and 338.46% increase in the carbonyl and malondialdehyde contents, respectively. Ice crystal formation disrupted the structural integrity of the muscle tissue. Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance results showed that the freeze–thaw cycles prolonged the relaxation times (T2b, T21 and T22), indicating that immobile water shifted to free water, and consequently, free water mobility increased. After 3 freeze–thaw cycles, the decline in shear force slowed, the increase in thawing loss became accelerated, and the TAC approached the domain value (6 log colony‐forming units/g). Therefore, the number of freeze–thaw cycles of smooth muscle during transport, storage and distribution should be controlled to 3 or fewer. The current results provide a theoretical basis and data support for the further utilisation and culinary processing of smooth muscle.

Effects of Dietary Rapeseed and Camelina Seed Cakes on Physical-Technological Properties of Goose Meat.

Simple SummaryThe diets fed to geese traditionally contain more forages and less concentrates, but there are many reasons, including veterinarian and environmental restrictions when intensive rearing should be adopted. It is also important to use different cheaper feed resources for geese, and one of these could be by-products of oil production such as rapeseed and camelina cakes. The present study was aimed at assessing the effects of rapeseed cake and camelina seed cake supplements on the physical and technological attributes of goose meat quality. The oil seed cake-supplemented diets did not reveal any differences in goose meat colour; however, it demonstrated the effects on moisture loss and on texture parameters determined by the texture profile analysis.The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of commercial diet supplemented with rapeseed and camelina seed cakes on the physical and technological attributes of goose meat quality. The breast and thigh muscles from thirty geese of both sexes of the Lithuanian native breed Vištinės fed the diet containing either rapeseed cake (group 1) or camelina cake (group 2) at the age of 13 weeks were used for the evaluation of physical and technological attributes. The diet did not affect the colour of goose meat; however, females showed higher (p < 0.05) values of breast yellowness (b*) and hue angle (h). The camelina group demonstrated higher (p < 0.001) cooking losses of breast and thigh muscles and also higher (p < 0.05) EZ drip loss and thawing loss of thigh muscles compared with the rapeseed group. Females had higher (p < 0.05) cooking loss of the breast, whereas males had higher (p < 0.05) cooking loss of the thigh. The growth rate of geese and their slaughter time showed an effect (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) on pH of thigh muscles. Higher (p < 0.01) hardness of the breast muscle in the camelina group compared with the rapeseed group was detected by the texture profile analysis (TPA) as well as other parameters such as cohesiveness and gumminess, chewiness. Despite some differences in technological meat quality attributes, the quality of goose meat produced with diet supplementation of 10% of rapeseed cake and camelina seed cake can be considered as suitable.

Experimental study on the effect of heating plate (Heat source) temperature on a new vacuum sublimation - rehydration thawing

The vacuum sublimation - rehydration thawing (VSRT) as a new vacuum thawing method consists of a vacuum sublimation stage and a rehydration heating stage. The heat and mass transfer are involved in the two stages mentioned above, and the heating plate (heat source) temperature is a key factor affecting the heat and mass transfer. In this work, the influences of heating plate temperature on the thawing efficiency (thawing time, thawing rate), thawing effect (thawing loss, texture parameters, color and luster) and system specific energy consumption during the process of VSRT were experimentally investigated to further optimize the process conditions. The results showed that there was an optimal value of the heating plate temperature within a certain range, so that the thawing efficiency and effect could reach the optimal state simultaneously. When the heating plate temperature was 25 °C, the thawing time was relatively short (67 min), the thawing rate was relatively fast (5.29 cm h−1), and the thawing loss was the lowest (0.4%). Meanwhile, the texture parameters, color and luster of thawed pork were not significantly different from that of the fresh pork, and the system specific energy consumption was lower (0.035 kWh kg−1) than the microwave thawing (0.04 kWh kg−1). Compared with the common method of natural air thawing (NAT), the thawing time was shortened by 40%, the thawing rate was increased to 2.4 times, the thawing loss could be reduced by 86%, and the better texture parameters, color and luster of thawed pork could be maintained under the method of VSRT.

Quality of Cuttlefish as Affected by Different Thawing Methods

ABSTRACT To investigate the effect of different thawing methods on the quality of frozen cuttlefish, six different thawing methods were used: hydrostatic thawing (HT), flowing water thawing (FWT), saline solution thawing (SWT), ultrasonic water thawing (UWT), microwave thawing (MT), and 4°C refrigerator thawing (RT). In this study, the water retention (thawing loss rate, centrifugal loss rate, and cooking loss), pH value, malondialdehyde content, TVB-N value, and sulfhydryl content were measured to evaluate the quality after thawing. Protein secondary structure was measured using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, protein tertiary structure was obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy and water migration was determined using low-field NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that the microwave thawing time was the shortest, but the water holding capacity after thawing was the worst, and the TVB-N content was the highest at 14.31 mg/100 g. Ultrasonic thawing led to the best water holding capacity, but ultrasound promoted the oxidation of protein and fat. Microscopic observation showed that the muscle fiber bundles in the saline solution thawing samples were compactly arranged and intact, with minimal gaps. The samples thawed in saline solution had the highest hardness and chewiness. The results of comprehensive analysis showed that saline solution thawing and ultrasonic water thawing are more suitable for thawing cuttlefish, and this study provides some theoretical basis for the selection of thawing methods in the actual production of cuttlefish.