Exploring novel vacuum microwave thawing: Gelling, rheological, and textural improvements of myofibrillar proteins

This study aimed to evaluate changes in the physicochemical and textural properties of chicken breasts thawed with various thawing methods (air thawing, water thawing, conventional microwave thawing and vacuum microwave thawing), and assess impact on extracted myofibrillar proteins' rheological, functional and structural modification. The findings revealed that vacuum microwave-thawed chicken samples exhibited significantly improved textural properties compared to other thawing methods. The vacuum microwave thawing (VMT) process significantly impacted cooking loss, thawing loss, and microstructure of chicken samples. Our observations indicated that the vacuum microwave thawed sample had the most similarity in fat oxidation to the fresh sample, lower than that obtained for other thawing techniques. The particle size distribution and turbidity data showed limited aggregation in myofibrillar proteins because of the VMT process, reinforcing its superiority over other thawing methods. Temperature sweep test demonstrated a more stable gelation pattern in this sample. Frequency and strain sweep analyses further confirmed that VMT-treated proteins formed more elastic networks with superior resistance to deformation. The highest values for emulsifying stability index and emulsifying ability index were obtained in sample subjected to the VMT process, further confirming the improved functional properties of the proteins. Water thawing and VMT methods resulted in lower values in surface hydrophobicity, resulting in higher water holding capacity and improved gelling properties. According to the structural analysis, the secondary and tertiary structures of myofibrillar proteins were more stable in the VMT group. These findings demonstrated that VMT preserves protein structure and gelling ability, supporting its use in gel-based applications.