Evaluation of Microwave Assisted Freezing (MAF) impact on meat and fish matrices

Several preservation methods have been investigated, developed and exploited over the last years but freezing still remains one of the most popular among them which offers fresh-like characteristics on the food matrix after long period of storage. The freezing process of food matrices is affected by their dominant constituent which is water. The final quality of the frozen product depends on the phase transition or the crystallization process of changing water into ice. The size of the ice crystals is critical for the final quality of the frozen food. In the present study a novel more advanced experimental setup was designed and developed for the application of microwave radiation during freezing. The influence of microwave assisted freezing (MAF) on meat and fish matrices under different conditions was investigated and promising results regarding the microstructure of the frozen samples were acquired.