Abstract The study evaluated the quality, physicochemical stability, and sensory attributes of precooked beef (PCB) subjected to different reheating methods, including control (CP), boiling (RB), microwave (RM), air-frying (RF), roasting (RR), and steaming (RS), to identify reheating conditions that optimize flavor and texture while minimizing oxidative and nutritional degradation. Reheating significantly altered pH (6.63 ± 0.2 in CP vs. 6.18 ± 0.2 in RR), reheating loss (highest in RB: 12.57 ± 1.42%; lowest in RF: 8.49 ± 0.2%), and water-holding capacity (highest in RB: 29.63 ± 1.52%; lowest in RF: 37.11 ± 1.34%). Dry-heat treatments (RM, RF, and RR) produced darker surfaces (lower L *) and higher redness ( a *), accompanied by increased hardness and chewiness compared with RB and RS. Volatile profiling revealed substantial increases in lipid-derived aldehydes and Maillard-related pyrazines during RF and RR, which reached the highest levels across all treatments, whereas RB and RS suppressed secondary oxidation products. E-nose PCA effectively differentiated reheating methods, with dry-heat treatments exhibiting stronger odor sensor responses. The proximate composition of precooked beef meat differed significantly ( p < 0.05) between the different reheating techniques. Free amino acids increased substantially in RM, RF, and RR—particularly sweet- and umami-related FAAs—enhancing flavor potential. Oxidation indicators also varied markedly: TBARS values were lowest in CP (0.67 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg) and highest in RR (1.32 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg), carbonyls recorded lowest in CP (3.88 ± 0.2 nmol/g protein) and highest in RR (6.12 ± 0.3 mg nmol/g protein) At the same time, sulfhydryl content decreased most in RF (17.52 ± 0.6 nmol/g protein) and RR (15.26 ± 0.5 nmol/g protein). Sensory evaluation showed that RF and RR achieved the highest overall acceptability scores, driven by intensified aroma, color, and texture attributes. In conclusion, the moist-heat methods (boiling and steaming) preserved better physicochemical and oxidative stability, while dry-heat methods (roasting and air-frying) enhanced flavor and color at the expense of lipid and protein integrity.
Elbarbary et al. (Thu,) studied this question.