Affiliation:
1. College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering China Agricultural University No.17 Qinghua East Road Beijing 100083 China
2. National Engineering Research Center for Fruit and Vegetable Processing 100083 Beijing China
3. Key Laboratory of Fruit and Vegetable Processing, Ministry of Agriculture 100083 Beijing China
Abstract
SummaryFreezing is a widely used method for preserving fresh strawberries, and selecting appropriate thawing technologies is crucial for obtaining high‐quality thawed strawberries. Radio frequency technology provides a promising method owing to its expeditious uniform heating mode with substantial penetration depth. This study investigated the effects of radio frequency thawing (RFT) using electrode gaps of 12, 14, or 16 cm on the quality attributes of frozen strawberries, comparing them with refrigerator thawing (RT) and microwave thawing (MWT). The results illustrated that strawberries thawed by RFT exhibited significantly lower firmness loss and higher levels of anthocyanins and ascorbic acid compared to RT and MWT methods. Specifically, strawberries thawed with a 12‐cm electrode gap under RFT showed faster thawing rates, increased phenolic content, and enhanced antioxidant activity. Overall, radio frequency technology shows great potential in enhancing the quality of thawed strawberries.
Funder
National Key Research and Development Program of China