Combination strategy of CO2 pressurization and ultrasound: To improve the freezing quality of fresh-cut honeydew melon

The effects of CO2 pressurization combined with ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing (CO2USIF) on improving the freezing quality of honeydew melon were studied. The cut melon samples were first subjected to 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 MPa CO2 pressure for 2 h respectively, and then frozen by an ultrasound-assisted freezing device. The results indicated that the CO2 pressurization affected the water state and reduced the freezable water content. Cryo-observed results showed the ice crystal area of the 0.5CO2USIF sample was 66.6% smaller than that of the SF, and 60.8% smaller than that of the IF. The drip loss of 0.5CO2USIF sample was 58.2% lower than that of SF. The indexes of vitamin C, flavor, texture and color of CO2USIF samples were kept better. The SEM results showed that the cell structures of CO2USIF samples were better maintained. These demonstrated that CO2USIF technology has application potential in improving the quality of frozen food.