Impact of Electrode Gaps during Low Voltage Electrostatic Field Thawing Process on Chicken Breast Flesh Quality

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of low-voltage electrostatic field (LVEF) thawing at different electrode gap distances on the physicochemical properties of chicken breast cubes (CBC). Frozen CBC samples were thawed using electrode gaps of 5, 15, 25, and 35 cm, and compared with conventional refrigerator thawing (RT) as a control. As the electrode gap increased from 5 to 35 cm, thawing loss, drip loss, drip protein content, and cooking loss initially decreased and then increased. Compared with RT, LVEF treatments significantly reduced thawing loss, drip loss, drip protein content, and cooking loss, while improving thawing rate, moisture content, and water-holding capacity (p ≤ 0.05). No significant differences were observed in proximate composition, except for moisture content and pH. In addition, LVEF effectively maintained colour stability by limiting metmyoglobin formation. Both shear force and metmyoglobin content of thawed CBC followed a similar trend, decreasing and then increasing with wider electrode gaps. Overall, the findings suggest that LVEF enhances the thawing quality of chicken breast cubes, with a 15 cm electrode gap (LVEF-15) providing the most favorable results.