Innovative electromagnetic wave assisted freezing (EWAF) for improving frozen food quality: Principles, influencing factors, modelling, applications, and prospects

Background

Electromagnetic wave assisted freezing (EWAF) is a novel assisted freezing technology with some advantages such as energy saving, high efficiency, compatibility with continuous processing, and no damage to food matrices. It can be used as an alternative technology of conventional freezing for significantly reducing the size of ice crystals and improving the quality attributes of frozen foods.

Scope and approach

This review offers an overview of the noteworthy aspects of EWAF, including the mechanisms of electromagnetic wave (EW) to reduce ice crystal size, the factors affecting EWAF, the modeling of EWAF process, the application of EWAF in food, and the prospects of the future development of EWAF technology.

Key findings and conclusions

Based on the specific EWAF parameters, EW may influence the crystallization of some cellular foods (e.g., vegetables and fruits, aquatic products, livestock, and poultry meat) through the mechanisms of exerting torque on water molecules or causing temperature oscillations to decrease the freezing damage and improve the quality attributes (e.g., texture, thawing drip loss, and microstructure) of them. In addition, the modeling of EWAF presents the evolution of the thermal physical and dielectric properties of food and other changes. Finally, future research should focus on some aspects such as the continuous industrial-scale production and the exact mechanisms of EWAF.