Effect of combined high voltage electrostatic with air blast freezing on quality attributes of lamb meat

The aim of this research was to compare the effects of electrostatic freezing (ESF) and air blast freezing on quality characteristics of meat after thawing. The effects of four voltages and three freezing temperatures on the quality of fresh lamb such as drip loss after thawing, color, texture, and microstructure were investigated. The results showed that with increasing voltage or decreasing freezing temperature, a slight decrease in the drip loss value and increase in the hardness value could be seen. However, only varying the voltage variable had a significant effect on equivalent diameter, hardness, and drip loss. Total color difference was not significantly influenced by both independent variables. Histological examination of the meat samples demonstrated that the improving the quality of the meat samples under ESF may be due to the ice crystal size reduction which resulted in limited freezing damage on the microstructure of meat.