Effects of ohmic heating thawing under an appropriate electric field on the quality and structure of duck breast meat

Abstract Ohmic heating thawing (OHT), as a novel thawing technique, possesses distinct advantages and is currently garnering attention from researchers. We have investigated the effects of OHT on the structure and protein quality of duck breast meat. Compared to conventional thawing (CT) methods (water thawing [WT], 20 ± 0.5°C; air thawing [AT], 20 ± 0.5°C), OHT (10, 15, and 20 V/cm) has been shown to enhance thawing efficiency, reducing thawing time by 28%–86% ( p < 0.05), lowering thawing loss rates by 2.55% ( p < 0.05), and resulting in milder protein oxidation with better preservation of protein secondary structures. Microscopically, OHT resulted in minimal damage to myofibrils in the duck breast meat. In this experiment, the optimal thawing electric field strength for duck breast was 15 V/cm. Moreover, the efficacy of OHT also relies on variations in voltage, with the most suitable thawing voltage determined by the specific characteristics of the material. These findings reveal the potential of OHT for thawing meat products. Practical Application Ohmic heating thawing (OHT) shortens thawing time and enhances thawing efficiency while reducing thawing loss rates. It has a minimal impact on proteins and a minor effect on muscle fiber structure.