Emerging Thawing Technologies for Frozen Muscle Foods: Mechanisms, Quality Impacts, and Industrial Prospects

Freezing is an important technique for preserving muscle foods (encompassing mammalian meat, poultry, and seafood). However, traditional thawing methods have several drawbacks, including excessive drip loss, nutrient leaching, and overall quality degradation. To address these issues, emerging technologies such as high-voltage electric field, ohmic, microwave, ultrasound-assisted, low-temperature combined with high-humidity (LHT), radiofrequency (RF), and vacuum thawing have been developed. Despite their potential, existing literature frequently focuses on standalone methods or isolated engineering parameters, leaving a critical knowledge gap regarding their comparative industrial viability and combined synergistic effects. Based on a comprehensive literature search across major scientific databases, the changes in meat product quality during the thawing process were systematically discussed, followed by an exploration of the principles and applications of these innovative methods. Crucially, comparative findings indicate that LHT thawing most effectively preserves water-holding capacity (WHC) and minimizes lipid oxidation. In contrast, RF thawing provides the optimal balance between rapid thawing rates and uniform quality retention for large-scale operations, while hybrid approaches (e.g., microwave combined with ultrasound) successfully balance high-speed processing with the prevention of structural degradation. Furthermore, the practical applications of these technologies in the food industry were presented, emphasizing the growing trend of combining multiple techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of the thawing process are analyzed to provide theoretical references and practical insights for enhancing the quality of commercial meat products.