Comparative evaluation of emerging and traditional thawing technologies on quality attributes, water migration,...

Thawing is a crucial step that significantly impacts the final quality of frozen strawberries. This study systematically compared the effects of six thawing methods, including low-temperature thawing (LTT), room-temperature thawing (RT), electric field thawing (EFT), magnetic field thawing (MFT), ultrasonic thawing (UST), and microwave thawing (MWT), on the quality of frozen strawberries. A comprehensive evaluation of each method was conducted by analyzing thawing efficiency, physicochemical properties, water distribution, enzyme activity, cell wall composition, microstructure, and volatile metabolites. The results indicated that MWT exhibited the highest thawing efficiency but caused severe cellular structural damage, as manifested by increased drip loss, elevated free water content, color deterioration, and significant alterations in aroma components. UST demonstrated rapid thawing but also induced noticeable cell wall degradation and water migration. RT resulted in slow thawing, which exacerbated enzymatic browning and oxidative damage, leading to a significant decline in quality. LTT best preserved the strawberry quality, but required the longest thawing time and was the least efficient. In contrast, EFT and MFT achieved relatively rapid thawing while effectively maintaining strawberry firmness, color, nutritional content, cell wall integrity, moisture distribution, and aroma characteristics, thus striking a favorable balance between thawing efficiency and quality retention. Consequently, these two methods are recommended as the most suitable thawing technologies, providing a solid theoretical basis for practical applications in the strawberry processing industry.