Abstract:
To investigate the effects of space electric field-assisted low-temperature storage on the quality of prepared beef steak, six storage methods were employed: refrigeration (4 ℃), super-chilling (−1 ℃), partial freezing (−5 ℃), freezing (−18 ℃), and space electric field-assisted super-chilling and partial freezing. Fresh steaks were used as a control to analyze changes in total viable bacterial count, pH, drip loss, color, texture characteristics, shear force, and muscle microstructure. The results indicated that the space electric field exhibited a pronounced antibacterial effect. The total viable bacterial count of the refrigerated group reached 7.58 lg CFU/g on the 5th day, and the super-chilling group reached 7.20 lg CFU/g on the 15th day both exceeding the acceptable limit. With the application of the electric field in the environment, the shelf life of the super-chilling samples could be extended from 15 to 20 d, and the color stability of the steak was significantly improved. Moreover, the space electric field demonstrated a highly effective inhibition of ice crystal growth and recrystallization, effectively preventing all-axial ice crystal growth during partial freezing, maintaining the microstructure of the muscle, and subsequently reducing thawing loss by approximately 28%. With the application of the electric field, the trend of decreasing shear force was mitigated, with reduction rates of 11.02% (space electric field-assisted super-chilling) and 2.13% (space electric field-assisted partial freezing). On the 20th day, compared with the partial freezing samples, the hardness, elasticity, and cohesiveness of the space electric field-assisted partial freezing samples increased by 23%, 2.7%, and 4%, respectively, maintaining good texture characteristics. These findings suggest that the application of a space electric field in low-temperature storage of prepared beefsteaks is a highly promising strategy for improving product quality.