Effects of magnetic field-assisted immersion freezing at different magnetic field intensities on the muscle quality of golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

This study evaluated the effects of magnetic field-assisted immersion freezing (MIF) with different magnetic field intensities (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mT) on the freezing curves, ice crystal area, microstructure, and physicochemical properties of golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) muscle. The result showed that, compared with refrigerator freezing (RF) and immersion freezing (MIF-0), magnetic fields prolonged the freezing time. However, the centrifugal loss and cooking loss of MIF-20 were 23.55 % and 29.18 % lower than those of MIF-0 group, respectively (P < 0.05). Low field-nuclear magnetic resonance results showed that MIF-20 group exhibited more homogeneous of water distribution and higher water content, the T22 was 20.59 % shorter than of MIF-0 (P < 0.05). Microscopic observations confirmed that the MIF-20 group had the smallest and the most evenly distribution of ice crystals. Therefore, MIF at 20 mT intensity can effectively improve the muscle qualities of frozen golden pompano.