Xiaohan Gu

Efficient thawing can preserve the quality of frozen hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) close to that of fresh hairtail. In contrast to air thawing (AT) and radio-frequency thawing (RT), this study looked at how graphene oxide (GO) and graphene magnetic (GM) nanoparticles paired with RT affect the microstructure and protein conformation of hairtails after thawing. The results suggested that GM-RT can reduce the myofibrillar protein (MP) damage and be more effective than other thawing treatments, like AT, RT, and GO-RT, in maintaining the microstructure of hairtail. The particle size and zeta potential showed that GM-RT could reduce the aggregation of MP during the thawing process compared to other thawing methods. Moreover, the texture of the hairtail after GM-RT exhibited higher hardness (1185.25 g), elasticity (2.25 mm), and chewiness (5.75 mJ) values compared to other thawing treatments. Especially compared with RT, the GM-RT treatment displayed significant improvements in hardness (27.24%), a considerable increase in springiness (92.23%), and an increase in chewiness (57.96%). GO-RT and GM-RT significantly reduced the centrifugal loss. The scanning electron microscopy results demonstrated that the effect of GM-RT was more akin to that of a fresh sample (FS) and characterized by a well-organized microstructure. In conclusion, GM-RT effectively diminished the MP aggregation and improved the texture of thawed fish. It can be regarded as a viable alternative thawing technique to enhance MP stability, which is vital for preserving meat quality.

BACKGROUND: The thawing process is an essential step for a frozen marine fish. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of graphene magnetic nanoparticles combined radio‐frequency thawing methods on frozen hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) dorsal muscle. Seven thawing methods were used: air thawing, 4 °C cold storage thawing, water thawing, radio‐frequency thawing (RT), radio frequency thawing combined with graphene nanoparticles (G‐RT), radio frequency thawing combined with graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO‐RT) and radio‐frequency thawing combined with graphene magnetic nanoparticles (GM‐RT). The thawing loss and centrifugal loss, electric conductivity, total volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and color of thawed hairtail dorsal muscle were determined. The carbonyl content, total sulfhydryl groups, Ca²⁺‐ATPase activity, raman spectroscopy measurements and Fourier‐transform infrared spectrometry measurements were determined using myofibrillar extracted from the dorsal muscle of hairtail. The water distribution was determined using low‐field NMR techniques.RESULTS: The results demonstrated that the RT, G‐RT, GO‐RT and GM‐RT could significantly shorten the thawing time. Moreover, GO‐RT and GM‐RT efficiently preserved the color of fish dorsal muscle and reduced the impact of thawing on fish quality by reducing lipid and protein oxidation. Meanwhile, the myofibrillar protein structure thawed by GO‐RT and GM‐RT were more stable and had a more stable secondary structure, which maintained strong systemic stability at the same time as slowing down protein oxidation.CONCLUSION: The results showed that GO‐RT and GM‐RT can significantly improve the thawing efficiency at the same time as effectively maintaining and improving the color and texture of thawed fish, slowing down the oxidation of proteins and lipids, and maintaining a good quality of thawed fish meat. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.