Comparison on the Quality of Frozen Pork Meatball Products Thawed by Different Methods
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Abstract:
In this study, the influences of five different thawing methods, cold thawing at 4 ℃, ultrasound-assisted thawing, running water thawing, air-oscillation thawing and microwave thawing, on the edible quality of frozen pork meatball products were compared. The water activity, texture characteristics and color of the thawed pork meatballs were analyzed. The research results showed that the increase in b* value of the pork meatball in the ultrasound-assisted- thawing group was the least, followed by the microwave thawing group (increases were 0.29 and 0.4, respectively). The changes in the hardness of pork meatballs subjected to different thawing methods differed highly significantly (P<0.01), with the hardness of the pork meatball subjected to running water thawing and microwave thawing being lower (5.65 N and 5.75 N, respectively). There was also a highly significant (P<0.01) difference in the change of chewiness, with microwave thawing causing the least chewiness, and the result of the chewiness similar to that of hardness. Meanwhile, there was a highly significant (P<0.01) difference in the water activity of the pork meatballs subjected to different thawing processes, and ultrasound-assisted thawing and microwave thawing made the water binding in the pork meatball more tightly after thawing, which was conducive to the assurance of product quality. Therefore, ultrasound-assisted thawing and microwave thawing are more conducive to reducing the loss of mouthfeel after pork meatball thawing. Considering the actual thawing conditions of industrial production and households, ultrasonic ultrasound-assisted thawing or running water thawing can be considered for industrial production. Microwave thawing is the best method for thawing pork meatball at home, which can easily maintain the original mouthfeel and flavour of pork meatball. This study is expected to provide theoretical support for the industrial production of pork meatball.
