Work

Low-voltage electric field assisted freezing of pork: an insight into the enhancement on the stability of colloid and myofibril protein in cryopreservation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of low-voltage electric field (LVEF: 0-8 kV, 30-250 Hz, 7.5-45 cm electrode spacing)-assisted freezing on pork quality subjected to 90-day cryopreservation at -18°C. Parameters (2 kV, 50 Hz, 30 cm) of LVEF were fixed via freezing curve analysis. Further analysis indicated that LVEF remarkably improved water-holding capacity and maintained textural properties (hardness, gel strength, shear force) of the frozen pork in following cryopreservation, which might be attributed to less mechanical damage to myofibrils. Moreover, myofibrillar protein (MP) stability analysis revealed that LVEF treatment decreased carbonyl content (35.4%), surface hydrophobicity (32.8%), and fragmentation index (26.1%), while improving total sulfhydryl retention and solubility. Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy revealed increased α-helix (25.0%) and β-sheet (28.0%) proportions, along with enhanced endogenous fluorescence intensity in LVEF-treated MP, indicating superior secondary structural integrity. These findings suggested that LVEF effectively maintained MP stability by inhibiting protein oxidation and aggregation, which may open a new horizon for meat cryopreservation.

Source: Journal of Future Foods

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfutfo.2025.09.001

Authors: Shihao Zhang, Meilin Cao, Huaming Hou, Shiyao Wang, Yisheng Chen

Institution: Shanxi Agricultural University

Language: English

Topic: Meat and Animal Product Quality

Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Shanxi Agricultural University