Effects of ultrasound-assisted freezing and high-voltage electric field thawing on quality of precooked duck meat

Flavor and textural changes are major quality challenges for prepared dishes, especially for precooked meat. However, studies mainly focused on raw meat and have not comprehensively evaluated integrated freezing and thawing methods. In this study, the effects of quick freezing with ultrasonic (QFU, 4.41 cm/h) combined with high-voltage electrostatic field-assisted thawing (HVEF) on the quality of precooked duck meat were investigated, in comparison to traditional freezing, including −18 °C freezing (CON, 1.0 cm/h), −40 °C quick freezing (QF, 2.07 cm/h), liquid nitrogen freezing (LNF, 8.16 cm/h) and thawing methods, including high-capacity refrigerator (HR), cool water flowing (CWF), and room temperature thawing (RT). The results demonstrate that with a higher freezing rate, QFU reduced the centrifugal loss of meat by 17.2%, improved textural attributes, and depressed the lipid and protein oxidation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that QFU and LNF produced orderly ice-crystal structures, with 70.5% of LNF ice crystals smaller than 12 μm 2 . In addition, faster freezing rates were associated with a lower proportion of T23 water. The HVEF thawing rendered the textural properties of precooked meat closer to those achieved by CWF. The HR thawing resulted in a lower free water content in precooked meat, despite the longest thawing time. These results provide a reference for maintaining quality of precooked meat through the industrial supply chain.