Diffusion kinetics of sodium chloride in Grass carp muscle and its diffusion anisotropy

Evaluation of ultrasonic-assisted pickling with different frequencies on NaCl transport, impedance properties, and microstructure in pork

The effects of ultrasonic curing with various frequencies on sodium chloride (NaCl) mass transfer in pork muscle and its potential mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that ultrasound curing dramatically increased the NaCl content in pork compared to static curing, especially curing at 26.8 kHz. The binarized images of NaCl penetration in pork visually confirmed that ultrasound enhanced the efficiency of mass transfer. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that the distribution of NaCl in pork tissue cured by ultrasound was the densest compared to the static curing. According to impedance analysis and microstructure observation, the structure of cell membranes was damaged to different extents during ultrasound treatments. The potential mechanisms of low-frequency ultrasound accelerated curing are mainly attributed to the action of acoustic cavitation and the sponge effect. Overall, the low-frequency ultrasound is a promising revolutionary technology in the food industry that can speed up the curing process of meat.

One-directional modelling to assess the mechanistic actions of power ultrasound on NaCl diffusion in pork

A one-directional modelling method for the assessment of the influence of power ultrasound (US) (4-19Wcm^-2, 25-40min) on NaCl diffusion in pork is presented. In doing so, the mechanistic actions of US salting in meat are elucidated. Temperature controls (4-21°C) were generated according to each US treatment. NaCl concentration profiles were fitted to Fick's second law, generating the effective NaCl diffusion coefficient (Ds_eff). Ds_eff ranged from 1.34×10^-10 to 4.01×10^-10m²s^-1, which is in agreement with the literature. The average Ds_eff was higher at increased temperature (p<0.05) and US intensity (p<0.01) and a lower Ds_eff was found with longer US treatment time as an effect of structural changes in the meat (p<0.05). The Ds_eff was higher at all US intensities than the corresponding temperature control indicating that mass transfer is accelerated by US mechanisms, such as cavitation, independent of temperature effects. This study provides further information on the mechanistic actions of ultrasonic enhanced mass transfer and further proves the potential of power US for the accelerated salting of pork.

Mass transfer dynamics during brining of rabbit meat

As a traditional processing method, brining is a preliminary, critical and even essential process for many traditional rabbit meat products in China. The aim of this work was to investigate mass transfer of rabbit meat brined in different salt concentration. Rabbit meat (Longissimus dorsi) was brined for 24 h in 5 brine solutions (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% NaCl [w/w]). Results indicated that mass transfer and kinetics parameters were significantly affected by the brine concentration during brining. When brine concentration increased, the total and water weight changes decreased, whereas the sodium chloride weight changes increased. Higher brine concentrations resulted in a higher degree of protein denaturation and consequently gave lower process yields. Samples treated with higher brine concentrations obtained lower brining kinetic parameter values for total weight changes and water weight changes, whereas they acquired higher values for sodium chloride weight changes.