Effects of Different Thawing Methods on the Quality Attributes of Frozen Lentinus edodes Cubes
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Abstract:
Different thawing methods (air ambient temperature thawing; refrigerator thawing; microwave thawing at 119, 259, and 280 W; and high-pressure thawing at 100, 150, and 200 MPa) were tested for their effects on the thawing time and quality attributes (color, drip loss, hardness, total phenolic content, and ion permeability) of frozen Lentinus edodes cubes. Both microwave thawing and high-pressure thawing could significantly shorten the thawing time of the frozen samples compared with air or refrigerator thawing, with the thawing time decreasing with increasing microwave power or processing pressure. The sample thawed by high pressure exhibited a dramatic decrease in color and hardness and a pronounced increase in ion permeability, thus resulting in a dramatic decrease in the quality of Lentinus edodes. However, microwave thawing significantly improved the quality attributes of the mushroom samples in terms of color (total color difference reduced by 19.9~44.1%), hardness (increased by 18.9~38.0%), drip loss (reduced by 45.7~42.0%), and total phenolic content (increased by 21.1~25.2%) compared with air ambient temperature thawing. The result suggests that microwave thawing at 259 W is the best method for thawing Lentinus edodes cubes with the highest sensory score (7.1). This study indicates that microwave thawing can significantly enhance both the thawing rate and quality attributes for Lentinus edodes, and shows a certain value to the processing of this mushroom species.
