Research Progress on the Mechanism and Control Technologies of Quality Changes in Frozen Meat Induced by Water-Ice-Water Dynamic Transformation

Low-temperature freezing is the oldest, most extensively and most cost-effective method of preserving meat, During freezing, frozen storage and thawing, eighty percent of the water in meat undergoes two phase transitions from water to ice to water, and ice crystals are formed and then melted, which will cause damage to muscle cells, resulting in oxidization of muscle protein and fat, a decrease in water-holding capacity, color darkening, tissue collapse and a reduction or even loss of nutritional value. The current review summarizes the formation and growth (nucleation, growth and recrystallization) of ice crystals based on the dynamic transformation from water to ice to water, analyzes the morphological change in ice crystals induced by different temperatures and degrees of supersaturation and the dynamic transformation from water to ice to water during freezing-thawing. This review focuses on the mechanism by which the transformation from water to ice to water causes deterioration of the microstructure, water-holding capacity, oxidation stability (fat oxidation, protein oxidation and conformational change) and sensory quality (texture, color and flavor) of frozen meat. Finally, some emerging freezing technologies (ultrasound freezing, high-pressure freezing, electromagnetic freezing and adding cryoprotectant) used to improve the quality of frozen meat are briefly introduced. This review is expected to provide a scientific theoretical basis for improving the quality of frozen meat and its industrial production.