Immersion Vacuum‐Cooling as a Novel Technique for Cooling Meat Products: Research Advances and Current State‐of‐the Art

In order to achieve a rapid cooling rate and to increase the industrial yield of the products without compromising their quality attributes, immersion vacuum‐cooling (IVC) is now widely applied for cooling of both small and large food items. However, the lower cooling rate compared with vacuum‐cooling has initiated numerous studies to improve this technique. Substantial efforts, such as combination of IVC with other cooling methods, using different initial water temperatures, or employment of agitation during IVC, have been made to optimize cooling parameters while also maintaining quality properties and complying with strict food safety requirements. This review presents and discusses the IVC evolution and recent developments directed at the ready‐to‐eat meat products industry. The principle of IVC and its applications are discussed first. Then future prospects and suggestions are covered, especially for the cooling of ready‐to‐eat meat products.