Cooking the Chicken Meat with Moderate Electric Field: Rheological Properties and Image Processing of Microstructure

In this study, the effects of the moderate electric field cooking (MEF cooking) method on the rheological properties, microstructural features, and some quality attributes of chicken meat were investigated and compared with the conventional cooking process (CC). MEF cooking processes were performed with sine and square waves at 50-1000-2000 Hz. The influence of process conditions on the microstructure was characterized by using different parameters obtained from image processing methods and cell disintegration values (Zc) and evaluated by correlation analysis. The cooking time was shortened up to 30% by the MEF cooking method compared to CC. The water-soluble protein (WSP) content was higher in sine wave applications of MEF cooking (p < 0.05). The rheological properties were determined by oscillation tests, which were performed between 0.01 and 100 Hz, and the best descriptive differences between the effects of process conditions were obtained at the measurement frequency of 0.01 Hz (p < 0.05). The higher Zc values were obtained in square wave applications (p < 0.05), and the effect of frequency was significant for both wave types (p < 0.05). The change of muscle bundle area, which was one of the image processing parameters, depending on frequency increase was opposite for both wave types. In addition, the effects of cooking methods on muscle bundle number and connective tissue area were statistically different (p < 0.05). There were significant correlations between the image processing parameters and Zc. It was revealed that MEF could be an alternative method for high food quality by improving the process effectiveness owing to microstructural changes.