Moisture migration of beef during freezing storage were characterized by low-field NMR and MRI in this study. Three water components assigned to bound water, immobilized water and free water were identified in beef matrix. The transverse relaxation time and peak area of immobilized water both declined as the proceeding of storage and increase of freeze-thaw (F-T) cycle, which suggested the freedom and population of immobilized water decreased. T<sub>1</sub> and T<sub>2</sub> weighted images obtained by magnetic resonance imaging displayed a continuous decrease of water intensity in beef during storage. The microstructure of beef was destroyed by the Ice crystal growth during storage, and repeated F-T cycles resulted in more and more large holes in the beef muscle fiber. The increase of storage time and F-T cycles also lead to quality changes of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen, TBARS value, weight loss, cooking loss, color and textural properties. In addition, strong relationships between moisture migration and quality changes stated the potential of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance to predict the quality of beef as a non-destructive method.

Characterization of moisture migration of beef during freezing storage by low-field NMR and MRI

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.