Recent developments in smart freezing technology applied to fresh foods

Due to the increased awareness of consumers in sensorial and nutritional quality of frozen foods, the freezing technology has to seek new and innovative technologies for better retaining the fresh like quality of foods. In this article, we review the recent developments in smart freezing technology applied to fresh foods. The application of these intelligent technologies and the associated underpinning concepts have greatly improved the quality of frozen foods and the freezing efficiency. These technologies are able to automatically collect the information in-line during freezing and help control the freezing process better. Smart freezing technology includes new and intelligent technologies and concepts applied to the pretreatment of the frozen product, freezing processes, cold chain logistics as well as warehouse management. These technologies enable real-time monitoring of quality during the freezing process and help improve product quality and freezing efficiency. We also provide a brief overview of several sensing technologies used to achieve automatic control of individual steps of freezing process. These sensing technologies include computer vision, electronic nose, electronic tongue, digital simulation, confocal laser, near infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance technology and ultrasound. Understanding of the mechanism of these new technologies will be helpful for applying them to improve the quality of frozen foods.     

新型冷冻和解冻技术在肉类食品中的应用研究进展

冻藏是肉类食品的主要贮藏方式之一,而冷冻和解冻过程是影响冻藏食品品质的重要因素。传统的冷冻和解冻方法耗时长,极易导致营养成分的流失及品质的降低,已不能满足现代食品工业的发展需求。因此,发展能够较好地保持肉类食品品质的新型快速技术具有重要的意义。文中对目前先进的冷冻和解冻技术在肉类食品中的应用研究进行重点综述,分析了各技术现阶段存在的不足和未来的研究趋势,为肉类食品冷冻工业的实际生产提供相关指导。     

Effects of pressure-shift freezing and pressure-assisted thawing on sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) quality

ABSTRACT:   Effects of pressure-shift freezing and/or pressure-assisted thawing on the quality of sea bass muscle were evaluated and compared with conventional (air-blast) frozen and thawed samples. Microstructural analysis showed a marked decrease of muscle cell damage for pressure-assisted frozen samples. According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), protein extractability, and SDS-PAGE results, high-pressure treatment (200 MPa) produced a partial denaturation with aggregation and insolubilization of the myosin, as well as alterations of the sarcoplasmic proteins. Only small differences between high-pressure processes (freezing or/and thawing) were registered. High-pressure-treated systems led to a decrease of water holding capacity but differences between high-pressure and conventional methods disappeared after cooking. Muscle color showed important alterations due to high-pressure treatments (increasing L * and b *).     

The initial freezing temperature of foods at high pressure

The Pure water (P,T)-phase diagram is known in the form of empirical equations or tables from nearly a century as a result of Bridgman's work. However, few data are available on other aqueous systems probably due to the difficulty of high-pressure measurements. As an alternative, six approaches are presented here to obtain the food phase diagrams in the range of pressure 0.1-210 MPa. Both empirical and theoretical methods are described including the use of an artificial neural network (ANN). Experimental freezing points obtained at the laboratory of the authors and from literature are statistically compared to the calculated ones. About 400 independent freezing data points of aqueous solutions, gels, and foods are analysed. A polynomial equation is the most accurate and simple method to describe the entire melting curve. The ANN is the most versatile model, as only one model allows the calculation of the initial freezing point of all the aqueous systems considered. Robinson and Stokes' equation is successfully extended to the high pressures domain with an average prediction error of 0.4 degrees C. The choice of one approach over the others depends mainly on the availability of experimental data, the accuracy required and the intended use for the calculated data.     

Fibres in the dough influencing freezing and thawing kinetics

Three types of commercial fibres were incorporated into the dough formula at the level of 0%, 5% and 10%. Dough freezing/thawing kinetics was determined at –18 °C and +30 °C, respectively. Fibres type and quantity are influencing the slope of freezing curve not the trend of the freezing curve. Related to the control the presence of fibres in dough prevents the formation of the solid phase. Freezing/thawing process of dough is defined by the Fourier's equation and tested with three approximations. Experimental data correspond the best to unsteady temperature profile, with introduced value of t ² referring to the phase transformation, proved by determination coefficient. At freezing/thawing the highest determination coefficient is experienced with 10% of inulin GR (0.966 and 0.991), and the lowest with 10% of fibrex (0.939 and 0.972). Pertinent data point at the possibility of mathematical interpretation of freezing/thawing processes that is of a particular interest for the bakery practice.     

Recent advances in pressure modification-based preservation technologies applied to fresh fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables are important parts of the human diet. The consumer demand for fruits and vegetables is increasing due to their rich nutritional value, appealing taste, and healthy perception. However, due to their highly perishable nature, appropriate preservation technologies must be developed to meet the consumer’s demand for healthy, additive-free, microbiologically safe, and high quality fresh fruits and vegetables. The preservation technologies based on modification or control of pressure alters the normal atmospheric pressure of the preservation environment. The materials to be preserved are subjected to either very high or low pressure to extend their shelf life. The mechanism, advantages, and limitations of pressure modification-based preservation methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, hyperbaric treatment, vacuum cooling, hypobaric storage, and vacuum packaging focusing on their applicability to fresh fruits and vegetables have been reviewed. This review suggests that these technologies have potential to extend the shelf life and achieve a better preservation of the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables.     

冻结和解冻过程对水产品品质的影响

冻结是水产品保鲜的一种有效的方法,冻结后的水产品一般会进行冻藏。影响冻品质量的因素很多,主要有冻结速率、冻藏温度、解冻速率、冻藏中温度波动、冻结-解冻循环次数等。本文在简要介绍食品的冻结解冻方法的基础上,综述了冻结解冻过程对水产品物理、化学特性的影响。     

Smart storage technologies applied to fresh foods: A review

ABSTRACT

Fresh foods are perishable, seasonal and regional in nature and their storage, transportation, and preservation of freshness are quite challenging. Smart storage technologies can online detection and monitor the changes of quality parameters and storage environment of fresh foods during storage, so that operators can make timely adjustments to reduce the loss. This article reviews the smart storage technologies from two aspects: online detection technologies and smartly monitoring technologies for fresh foods. Online detection technologies include electronic nose, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), hyperspectral imaging and computer vision. Smartly monitoring technologies mainly include some intelligent indicators for monitoring the change of storage environment. Smart storage technologies applied to fresh foods need to be highly efficient and nondestructive and need to be competitively priced. In this work, we have critically reviewed the principles, applications, and development trends of smart storage technologies.     

Pulsed electric field treatment prior to freezing carrot discs significantly maintains their initial quality parameters after thawing

The interaction of pulsed electric fields (PEF) with different cryoprotectant and texturizing agents in quality retention of carrot discs was analysed. Increasing the permeability properties by PEF may lead to better accessibility of intracellular materials to freezing and thus reducing the freezing time, leading to better maintaining the texture after thawing. Carrot discs of 5 mm thickness were immersed in different solutions of CaCl₂, glycerol, trehalose and tap water, and subsequently were treated with PEF (1 kV/cm, 100 pulses, 4 Hz). Then, the samples were drained and packed along with a control group in separate prepared polypropylene pouches. All the samples were frozen at ?18 °C for 24 h and thawed during 3 h at ambient temperature (20 °C) the following day. The quality of the thawed carrot discs was certified by measuring weight loss, firmness, microscopic studies and CIE colorimetric attributes. All the PEF‐treated samples, no matter what solution they were soaked in, could significantly (P < 0.05) maintain the firmness as well as colour attributes. However, it was deducted that application of CaCl₂ in conjunction with PEF can result in a firmer texture. Firmness analyses determined that application of PEF alone results in 5.84 N, while its combination with CaCl₂ leads to higher value of 6.63 N. Firmness in control samples was found to be 3.46 N. The SEM studies supported the results of firmness analysis and depicted more integrity in the cell walls of the samples treated with CaCl₂ and glycerol. The weight loss values varied among different samples, and the highest amount and lowest amount were reported in CaCl₂ and solely PEF‐treated samples, respectively. There was no significant difference between the colour attributes measured in different groups including control sample (P > 0.05).     

食用菌等生鲜食品液态N2和CO2深冷冻结技术

介绍了食用菌等生鲜食品速冻技术的最新研究进展与应用情况,就速冻食用菌等生鲜食品加工技术的方法、设备、冻结与冻藏工艺进行综述,并对食用菌等生鲜食品的开发利用前景进行了展望。     

Post-harvest technologies applied to edible flowers: A review

This review intends to summarize the current knowledge on the post-harvest technologies applied to edible flowers, to help producers to increase their market share and to inform consumers on the technologies that are available to maintain edible flowers’ quality and safety. Emerging post-harvest technologies as High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) or irradiation have given good results. Freeze- or vacuum-drying has shown to be highly effective in the preservation of flowers’ bioactive compounds in comparison with classical drying approaches. While osmotic dehydration is already in use, the application of edible coatings and films can be a healthier alternative, without increasing solute contents.     

食品的低温高压处理技术及其研究进展

文中介绍了低温高压处理技术的基本原理、应用范围和研究进展。在 0～ 6 32 4MPa范围内 ,高压下水的冻结点均较常压下的低 ,并在低于 0℃的温度下形成一个水的不冻结区域。高压还使水的体积收缩、温度升高。低温高压处理技术可应用于食品杀菌和抑酶、高压冻结和高压解冻、低温高压不冻结贮藏。低温高压具有比常温高压更好的杀菌效果 ;高压冻结和高压解冻可缩短食品冻结和解冻的时间、改善冻藏食品的品质 ;低温高压下的不冻结贮藏能更好地保持食品原有的风味和质地     

Ultrasound assisted nucleation of some liquid and solid model foods during freezing

Power ultrasound has been proven to be useful in promoting the nucleation of ice in water-based solutions, and different mechanisms have been proposed to describe this phenomenon. In the present work, the use of ultrasound waves to induce dynamic nucleation in deionised water, sucrose solution, and agar gel samples was studied, and the mechanism of ultrasound assisted nucleation was discussed. The samples were frozen in an ethylene glycol–water mixture (− 20 °C) in an ultrasonic bath system after putting them into tubing vials. Ultrasound irradiation (25 kHz, 0.25 W cm⁻¹) was applied continuously for 1, 3, 5, 10 or 15 s at different sample's temperatures in the range of 0 °C to − 5 °C. The nucleation temperatures of the water, sucrose solution and agar gel samples without ultrasound irradiation, occurred stochastically at − 7.4 ± 2.4 °C, −10.6 ± 1.7 °C and − 7.5 ± 0.92 °C, respectively and followed normal distributions. Unlike agar gel samples, the nucleation temperatures of water and sucrose were induced by applying ultrasound for 5 s at different temperatures after a short delay, and linear relationships between the ultrasound irradiation temperatures and the nucleation temperatures were observed. Evaluation of the effect of different durations of ultrasound application on agar gels indicated that 1 s was not long enough to induce nucleation, 3 s was optimal, 5 s and 10 s produced heat and inhibited nucleation, and 15 s did not exhibit significant differences from 3 s and 10 s. It was concluded that longer irradiation durations (especially 5 s and 10 s) caused the sample to heat up, which interrupted or delayed the nucleation. Ultrasound irradiation for 3 s induced nucleation in agar gel samples at different temperatures resulting in a linear relationship between irradiation and nucleation temperatures. The observations indicated that the Hickling's theory, according to which vigorous collapses of bubbles are the only driving mechanism of nucleation, is not adequate to describe the ultrasound assisted nucleation. The results, however, were in agreement with results of some other researchers suggesting that secondary phenomena such as flow streams are also important for the initiation of nucleation. In conclusion, the use of ultrasound as a means to control the crystallisation process offers promising application in food freezing, though further investigations are needed for understanding the mechanisms, especially in solid foods.     

Minimizing texture loss of frozen strawberries: effect of infusion with pectinmethylesterase and calcium combined with different freezing conditions and effect of subsequent storage/thawing conditions

Vacuum infusion (VI), freezing, frozen storage and thawing conditions were optimized in order to minimize the texture loss of frozen strawberries. Slow freezing caused severe loss in textural quality of the strawberries. This quality loss could not be prevented by the application of VI prior to slow freezing, or by the application of rapid, cryogenic or high-pressure shift freezing conditions on non-infused fruits. A remarkable texture improvement was noticed when infusion of pectinmethylesterase (PME) and calcium was combined with rapid or cryogenic freezing. The highly beneficial effect of PME/Ca-infusion followed by HPSF on the hardness retention of frozen strawberries was ascribed to the combined effect of the infused PME (53% reduction in degree of esterification (DE) of the strawberry pectin) and the high degree of supercooling during HPSF. During frozen storage, textural quality of PME/Ca-infused high-pressure frozen strawberries was maintained at temperatures below −8 °C, whereas the texture of PME/Ca-infused strawberries frozen under cryogenic freezing conditions was only preserved at temperatures below −18 °C. Thawing at room temperature seemed to be an appropriate method to thaw strawberries. Fast thawing by high-pressure induced thawing (HPIT) did not prevent textural quality loss of frozenstrawberries.     

果蔬冰点与其生理生化指标关系的研究

贮藏温度是影响果蔬贮藏寿命的关键因素。利用同步法测定了35种果蔬的冰点温度及其可溶性固形物含量、密度和含水量,并确定其相关性,为确定果蔬的贮藏保鲜温度条件提供理论依据。结果表明:果蔬含水量和可溶性固形物含量与冰点温度的相关性分别达到极显著水平;果蔬密度与冰点温度的相关性没有达到显著水平。果蔬冰点温度随着果蔬含水量增加呈递增趋势,而随着可溶性固形物含量的增加呈递减趋势,这将为新鲜果蔬的冷藏保鲜及加工提供可靠的理论和数据参考。     

Effect of pretreatments and freezing rate on the firmness of potato tissue after a freeze–thaw cycle

The texture of potato tissue after a freeze–thaw process using different freezing rates and different pretreatments was analysed, in order to select the best strategy for optimum preservation of the textural characteristics of pre‐frozen potato. Ten blanching conditions were tested and a two‐step blanching process with calcium chloride (0.07 g mL^?1) proved the most effective in protecting the tissue after a freeze–thaw process (maximum load force around 10–55% of the raw tissue, depending on potato batch, for air‐blast freezing and 20–60% for immersion freezing). Vacuum impregnation at 100 and 400 mbar, even when followed by different pre‐drying treatments to remove excess water, was very detrimental to resistance to a freeze–thaw process (maximum load force below 10% of the raw tissue for air‐blast freezing and below 20% for immersion freezing). Microstructure analysis confirmed better tissue integrity retention with ethyleneglycol immersion freezing instead of air‐freezing. Differences were found between batches with a 6‐month difference in storage time, indicating that the fresher batch was more suitable for freezing.     

Using power ultrasound to accelerate food freezing processes: Effects on freezing efficiency and food microstructure

Abstract

Freezing is an effective way of food preservation. However, traditional freezing methods have the disadvantages of low freezing efficiency and generation of large ice crystals, leading to possible damage of food quality. Power ultrasound assisted freezing as a novel technique can effectively reduce the adverse effects during freezing process. This paper gives an overview on recent researches of power ultrasound technique to accelerate the food freezing processes and illustrates the main principles of power ultrasound assisted freezing. The effects of power ultrasound on liquid food, model solid food as well as fruit and vegetables are discussed, respectively, from the aspects of increasing freezing rate and improving microstructure. It is shown that ultrasound assisted freezing can effectively improve the freezing efficiency and promote the formation of small and evenly distributed ice crystals, resulting in better food quality. Different inherent properties of food samples affect the effectiveness of ultrasound application and optimum ultrasound parameters depend on the nature of the samples. The application of ultrasound to the food industry is more likely on certain types of food products and more efforts are still needed to realize the industrial translation of laboratory results.     

Use of Power Ultrasound to Improve Extraction and Modify Phase Transitions in Food Processing

In recent years, the physical and chemical effects of ultrasound in liquid and solid media have been extensively used in food processing applications. Ultrasound in liquids generates a number of physical forces. Vibration, pressure, and physical agitation are forces that can be generated in the absence of acoustic cavitation. In addition to these physical forces, acoustic cavitation generates microjets, shear forces, shockwaves, radical formation, and acoustic streaming. At lower frequencies (20–100 kHz), the physical effects dominate. At intermediate frequencies (200–500 kHz), chemical effects (formation of highly reactive radicals within the cavitation bubbles) are more dominant, as the number of active bubbles generated is higher. At higher frequencies (>1 MHz), cavitation and the associated chemical effects are less likely and acoustic streaming effects are dominant. There are a number of food processing applications where these physical and chemical forces of ultrasound have been found to be effective. The present review summarizes selected areas of food applications such as extraction, crystallization, thawing, drying, and freezing where ultrasound is found to be beneficial in terms of increasing efficiency, reducing time, and increasing the yields. The reason for choosing these applications is that such areas are not critically reviewed in the existing literature.     

Effect of crust freezing applied alone and in combination with ultraviolet light on the survival of Campylobacter on raw chicken

The application of crust freezing (CF) applied as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with ultraviolet (UV) light for reducing the level of artificially inoculated Campylobacter jejuni on raw chicken was investigated. CF air temperatures of −5, −15 and −27 °C (±3 °C) with freezing times of 70, 15 and 6 min, respectively, were used. The level of C. jejuni on chicken was also examined following subsequent refrigerated (0–4 °C) storage at 3 and 7 days. All CF treatments resulted in significant reductions compared to untreated controls (P < 0.05). Although combining CF with UV also resulted in significant reductions for C. jejuni, the combined treatments were generally no more effective than treatment by CF alone. Overall, the color of chicken drumsticks was not affected by CF treatments (P ≥ 0.05). In general, CF resulted in increased drip loss (P < 0.05), which increased over storage time and was greater at higher CF temperatures. The current study indicates that CF has potential for reducing the levels of C. jejuni by between 0.5 and 1.5 log₁₀ CFU/g and impacts minimally on the color of treated skin.     

Short communication: Global transcriptome analysis of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis in response to gradient freezing

Lactic acid bacteria are often preserved as starter cultures by freezing to extend shelf stability as well as maintain cell viability and acidification activity. Previous studies showed that the endocyte extracted from gradient-freezing pretreated cells could act as lyoprotectant in the lyophilization process of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. In this study, the molecular mechanisms of L. lactis in response to gradient freezing exposure are described using high-throughput sequencing. Nineteen of 56 genes were upregulated after gradient freezing, whereas 37 genes were downregulated. Further validation results of quantitative real-time PCR experiments were consistent with the RNA sequencing. Gene Ontology (http://www.geneontology.org/) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG; https://www.genome.jp/kegg/) pathway were used to analyze the differentially expressed genes. Several pathways, such as glutathione metabolism, ATP-binding cassette transport, metabolism of cell wall and cell membrane components, and stress response-related pathways, were affected by gradient freezing. Six genes relevant to freezing stress response were selected for quantitative real-time PCR, including 3 upregulated genes (hisK, eutD, dukA) and 3 downregulated genes (als, yedF, pepN). The Gene Ontology enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses showed these genes may influence stress response-related pathways, improving the survival of the L. lactis under freezing stress. The identification of these genes deepened an understanding about their response under freezing stress, helping us find potential genes or pathways related to gradient freezing for further research on lyoprotectants.