Effects of different raw thawing methods on the quality of sauce marinated beef

• Microwave thawing beef is the most efficient. • Microwave and ultrasonic thawing can improve the tenderness of the spiced beef. • Still water thawing, the nutritional content of the spiced beef is kept at its best. • The thawing method has little effect on the pH value of beef products. To obtain the optimal thawing method for raw materials, the effects of four techniques, namely air thawing, hydrostatic thawing, ultrasonic thawing, and microwave thawing on the effect of frozen beef raw materials and the quality of sauce marinated beef were investigated. By measuring the yield, chemical composition content, color, texture, flavor characteristics, and microstructure indicators of sauce marinated beef, the quality changes of the beef were analyzed. The results showed that compared with other thawing methods, the microwave thawing of raw beef took the shortest time of 1.6 minutes, had highest yield of sauce marinated beef (58.21%), and had minimum shear force (10.25 N). After the raw beef was thawed in hydrostatic water, the chemical composition content and color retention of sauce marinated beef were both optimal. The electronic nose results showed that ultrasonic and microwave thawing significantly improved the flavor quality of sauce marinated beef. The microstructure of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that microwave and ultrasonic thawing improved the tenderness of the product by breaking the structure of muscle fibers. Microwave thawing could significantly shorten the thawing time, effectively improved economic benefits, slowed down the process of color deterioration, and improved the quality of sauce marinated beef processing. It is necessary to consider comprehensively in the industrial processing and application of sauce marinated beef. This study provided theoretical support for the selection and improvement of industrial processes for sauce marinated beef.