Effect of ultrasound-assisted thawing on gelling and 3D printing properties of silver carp surimi

The effects of ultrasound-assisted thawing (at ultrasonic frequencies of 45, 80 and 100 kHz) and water immersion thawing on gelling and 3D printing properties of silver carp surimi were examined. Ultrasound-assisted thawing (UT) can save 13.5%similar to 40.4% time, and high ultrasonic frequency (80 kHz and 100 kHz) did not cause high thawing loss. Thawing at higher ultrasonic frequency could reduce the damage of the secondary and tertiary structure of myofibrillar proteins. No significant differences were observed for the main relaxation component (T-22) and its peak area proportion (P-22), and rheological properties, resulting in similar printing performance. After steam heating, cuboid samples in UT-100 kHz group kept the best geometrical shapes and had the highest hardness, springiness, and chewiness. Thus, ultrasound-assisted thawing provides a promising thawing method in food materials of 3D printing.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that ultrasound-assisted thawing can significantly reduce thawing time, with higher ultrasonic frequencies having minimal impact on thawing loss and protein structure damage. Printing performance is similar across different frequencies, with samples thawed at 100 kHz showing the best performance after steam heating.