A comparative study of freezing methods on quality of Atlantic Salmon: Refrigerator, liquid immersion, and magnetic field-assisted techniques.

Abstract

To investigate the effects of freezing methods on the quality of Atlantic salmon, four freezing methods were evaluated: refrigerator freezing (RF), liquid immersion freezing (LIF), static magnetic field-assisted freezing (SMF), and static magnetic field-assisted immersion freezing (SMF-LIF). The results showed that SMF-LIF technology significantly reduced freezing damage by synergistically regulating ice crystal growth kinetics (69 μm, compared to 205 μm in the RF group) and intermolecular interactions, resulting in lower centrifugal loss (12.92 %), higher hardness (1280.01 g), and better preservation of muscle microstructure integrity. The magnetic field induces the alignment of water molecule dipoles, which helps stabilize protein structures by maintaining the key hydrogen bond network in the head region of myosin, maintaining a high α-helix content, and reducing the formation of random coils. The results demonstrated that SMF-LIF, as an innovative physical intervention technique, could improve the quality of frozen seafood products and holds great potential for industrial application.