Effectiveness of ultrasound‐assisted immersion thawing on the thawing rate and physicochemical properties of chicken breast muscle

Abstract This study evaluated the effect of air thawing (AT), water thawing (WT), and ultrasound‐assisted immersion thawing (UT) at different power levels (200, 300, 400, and 500 W) on the thawing rate, physicochemical properties, and protein structure of chicken breast muscle ( pectoralis ), and the weight of each sample was approximately 106 ± 3 g. UT shortened the total thawing time and decreased the cutting force with increasing ultrasound power. Additionally, UT at 300 W (UT‐300) remarkably reduced the thawing and cooking losses of the samples compared to AT, WT, and other UT powers ( p < 0.05). Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that the T 21 and T 22 of the UT‐300 samples were shorter than those of the AT and WT samples ( p < 0.05), which revealed that UT‐300 reduced the mobility and losses of both immobilized and free water. Moreover, UT‐300 remarkably reduced the damage to the myofibrillar protein (MP) structure. Overall, with appropriate ultrasonic power, the thawing rate increased and changes in the MP structure were reduced. Practical Application This study found that compared to that of AT samples, the thawing time of the UT‐300 samples markedly decreased by 57%. In addition, UT‐300 could reduce the damage to the myofibrillar protein structure, which was very beneficial for further processing of frozen foods.