Ultrasound thawing of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus): Effects on thawing rate, protein denaturation and some physical properties

The effects of ultrasound-assisted thawing (bath-type (20 kHz, 16.65 W/kg of water) and probe-type (28 kHz, 21.35-49.50 W/cm2)) on the thawing rate, protein denaturation, textural characteristics and some physical properties of button mushroom were investigated and compared with the conventional thawing methods. Three different regimes (including sonication in the temperature ranges of -25-4 degrees C, -5-0 degrees C, and 0-4 degrees C) were applied for ultrasound-assisted thawing. An enhancement of 74.65-84.79% in the thawing rate was obtained. Sonication in the temperature range of -5-0 degrees C had the highest impact on decreasing the thawing time. The results of differential scanning calorimetry proved that the bath-type ultrasound, 250 W probe-type ultrasound, and refrigeration thawing methods had the least protein denaturation. In addition, the 250 W probe-type ultrasound resulted in a high water holding capacity and hardness. On the other hand, ultrasound thawing at high power levels had the best effect on color indices and other textural properties. On the other hand, scanning electron microscopy showed that with increasing the ultrasound intensity, the disruption of the structure was enhanced. Hence, it could be concluded that using the probe-type ultrasound at 250 W could increase the thawing rate and lower the protein denaturation without any considerable structural disruption.

Automated summary

The study compared the effects of different ultrasound-assisted thawing methods on the thawing process of button mushroom, finding that sonication in the temperature range of -5-0 degrees C significantly reduced thawing time. The 250 W probe-type ultrasound not only minimized protein denaturation but also increased water holding capacity and hardness, while high-power ultrasound thawing had the best effect on color indices and textural properties.