Comparative analysis of continuous and intermittent air convection–high voltage–infrared hybrid thawing of potato: kinetics, energy consumption, and microstructure

This study investigates the thawing performance and quality attributes of potato cubes under air convection (AC), high-voltage electric field (HV), infrared (IR), and ternary hybrid systems (continuous and intermittent AC-HV-IR). The intermittent AC-HV-IR treatment exhibited superior thermal performance, accelerating the phase transition while minimizing weight loss to 8.95%. SEC was lowest for the standalone HV method (1.26 kJ/g), which also demonstrated the highest apparent endothermic transition enthalpy (1237 J/g) in DSC analysis, indicating better structural preservation of the native tissue matrix. FTIR spectral analysis confirmed that intermittent hybrid thawing and standalone HV preserved the local hydrogen-bonding network and short-range starch order. Conversely, standalone IR treatment caused rapid surface dehydration, maximum microstructural disruption, and the lowest apparent transition enthalpy (869.6 J/g). Principal Component Analysis captured 82.91% of the cumulative variance (59.37% for PC 1 and 23.54% for PC 2 ), underscoring the process trade-offs between thawing kinetics, energy utilization, and color preservation. Ultimately, the intermittent AC-HV-IR method provides the most favorable balance by mitigating surface overheating and evaporative moisture loss while maintaining tissue integrity.