The effect of ice crystals formations on the flesh quality of frozen horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus).

It is known that the formation of ice crystals has a negative impact on the flesh quality of frozen meat. This study focuses on how the formation of ice crystals in the dorsal ordinary muscle affects the flesh quality of frozen horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus). Freeze-thawed muscle specimens (F-TMS) of horse mackerel were first stored at -24C and then thawed. The K-value, expressible water, breaking strength of unfrozen muscle specimens (UMS) and F-TMS, and histological structure (light microscope [LM], scanning electron microscope [SEM] of UMS, frozen muscle specimens [FMS], and F-TMS) were investigated. K-values were higher in the F-TMS than in the UMS, and the increasing rate of K-value in F-TMS was approximately 1.4-fold higher than UMS. Similarly, the percentage of expressible water was higher in the F-TMS than in the UMS. The breaking strength of the UMS decreased with storage period, but it remained at a higher level than that of F-TMS. Numerous ice crystal formations in muscle cells of FMS and small interstices between cells of F-TMS were observed under LM. Moreover, we observed a relatively collapsed honeycomb structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) under SEM, and found that collagen fibril networks of endomysiums became looser after thawing. Therefore, ice crystals contribute to vulnerabilities in the ECM. These results suggest that a decrease of freshness and the degradation of physical properties caused by ECM destruction may be due to the formation of ice crystals in muscle structures during freezing, leading to the deterioration of flesh quality during storage.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The flesh quality deteriorated after thawing on the basis of degradation of physical properties. Moreover, it could be presumed that the K-value increase was exacerbated by ice crystals, and the decreasing speed of chemical freshness was sped up accompanied by ice storage after thawing. Thus, the formation of ice crystals, which destroyed the muscle cells and structures, may be one of the dominant factors causing the deterioration in the flesh quality.