Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025
Introducing an Angle Adjustable Cutting Box for Analyzing Slice Shear Force in Meat
Published on: April 26, 2013
Effects of alternating electric field during freezing and thawing on beef quality
Guangyu Wu1, Chuan Yang2, Heather L Bruce3
1Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agro-products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100193, PR China; Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2P5, Canada.
Abstract:
Alternating electric field (AEF) technology was used during freezing-thawing-aging (FA) of beef aged for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. Color, lipid oxidation, purge loss, cooking loss, tenderness, and T2 relaxation time were determined for frozen-thawed-aged beef with AEF (AEF + FA) or without AEF (FA) and compared to aged only (OA) controls. FA increased purge loss, cooking loss, shear force values and lipid oxidation (P < 0.05) but decreased a* values compared with AEF + FA treatment. It also exacerbated the spaces between muscle fibers and contributed to the transformation of immobile water to free water. AEF served to maintain meat quality by reducing purge loss, cooking loss and increasing meat tenderness and maintaining color and lipid oxidation only in steak that was frozen before aging. This most likely occurred due to AEF increasing the speed of freezing and thawing and by reducing the space between muscle fibers compared to FA alone.
