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Investigation of the histological and textural properties of chicken breast thawed by high voltage electric field
Author(s) -
Rahbari Mahshid,
Hamdami Nasser,
Mirzaei Habibollah,
Jafari Seid Mahdi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/jfpe.13543
Subject(s) - texture (cosmology) , myofibril , electric field , denaturation (fissile materials) , materials science , voltage , microstructure , composite material , food science , chicken breast , high voltage , chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , biomedical engineering , chromatography , biochemistry , electrical engineering , medicine , nuclear chemistry , artificial intelligence , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , image (mathematics) , engineering
Our aim was to study the possible changes in texture and microstructure of chicken breast during high voltage electric field (HVEF) thawing. The HVEF was applied at 1.5, 2.25, and 3 kV/cm electrical field strengths for thawing of chicken breast cubes (2 × 2 × 2 cm 3 ), in a designed multiple needle‐plate electrode system. The hardness was increased first at a higher voltage (from 1.5 to 2.25 kV/cm), then decreased at 3 kV/cm; the lowest hardness and highest springiness were observed in control sample with the maximum thawing time, that can be associated with protein denaturation results. The samples thawed under 1.5 kV/cm showed a lower texture destruction; in the histological sections of the thawed sample under 2.25 kV/cm, the fibrils remained relatively intact without any gaps; however, the largest deformation and loss of collagen fibrillation network was related to the control and the samples thawed under 3 kV/cm, possibly due to the great degree of protein denaturation. Color parameters showed that the L * and b * values increased by raising the voltage, and a * value dropped significantly, at higher voltages. Applying a desirable voltage and electrode distance for creating electric field can decrease the structural damages resulting from protein denaturation during the conventional thawing. Practical Applications Tenderness, toughness and color of meat are among the most important factors in terms of consumer acceptance. It seems the HVEF process modifies the texture of muscles by influencing the denaturation of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins, which is characterized by texture analysis test. On the other hand, the visualization of muscle fiber destruction is possible by using histological investigations. In this research, the effect of HVEF thawing on both the texture and microstructure of chicken has not been focused. The main purpose of this paper was to study the possible changes made in the texture and microstructure of chicken breast during HVEF thawing, and comparison with changes resulted from conventional thawing.