Impact of thawing methods on the quality of frozen oysters: the superiority of combined ultrasound-microwave

This study evaluated the effects of five thawing methods—air thawing (AT), microwave thawing (WT), ultrasonic thawing (UT), ultrasonic-microwave (UWT), and refrigerated thawing (FT) on the physicochemical, textural, structural, and aroma fingerprint by E-nose of frozen oysters. The results demonstrated that the thawing method significantly influenced oyster quality. The AT and FT methods required longer thawing times, resulting in greater color loss and diminished freshness. The WT method effectively preserved TVB-N and sulfhydryl content, but it resulted in increased cooking losses. The UT method minimized color deterioration and carbonyl accumulation but had a negative impact on protein sulfhydryl content. The UWT method shortened thawing time, reduced cooking losses, and minimized color variation, while maintaining TVB-N values and tryptophan fluorescence levels closest to those of fresh oysters. However, UWT did not significantly improve the secondary protein structure or microscopic structural integrity of the adductor muscle. Overall, these findings highlight the superiority of the UWT method in maintaining the quality attributes of oysters, and emphasize the necessity of optimizing thawing conditions to minimize structural and compositional changes while maintaining overall oyster quality. • Five thawing methods were compared for impacts on oyster freshness and structure. • The UWT method significantly improved thawing efficiency and preserved oyster freshness. • Overall, UWT demonstrates the most effective thawing results compared to other methods.