Comparison of quality attributes of minced beef samples thawed by ohmic and conventional methods

Frozen minced meat samples having different fat contents (2%, 10%, or 18%) were thawed using two different standard thawing methods (RT: +4 degrees C refrigeration thawing, URWT: +4 degrees C under running water thawing), and a novel alternative method (ohmic thawing-OT at voltage gradients of 10, 13, and 16 V/cm). The drip loss values of meat samples changed in the range of 0.01%-1.65%. For OT, the change in the color increased as the fat content increased. OT shortened the thawing time, on average, by 64% and 87% compared to URWT and RT, respectively, while it resulted in similar effects on proximate composition and microbiological load with standard thawing methods. This novel thawing method did not cause any mutagenic formation, and the metal migration was in allowable limits. It is thought that the results showed that OT method has the potential to be applied as a novel alternative method for thawing of meat products.