The results of this comparative study of conventional and radio
frequency defrosting of lean beef meats and its effect on water
binding characteristics can be summarized as follows: The effect
of tempering rate on lean meat (whole, minced or finely comminuted) did not change the amount of drip loss significantly follow-
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ing a standardized slow thawing protocol. On the other hand, the
study confirms that the more rapid RF thawing method was beneficial in reducing the drip and micronutrient loss when compared
to the conventional air method. NMR T2 distributions post-thawing
did not show a clear difference between thawing methods. However, the experiment showed that after comminution of meat a
fourth water fraction had appeared. With regard to dielectric properties, higher post-thawing values were observed for the RF method. These results suggest that while not all water binding
assessment methods evaluated in the current study could be used
to differentiate between fast and slow thawing for lean beef meat
subjected to different comminution levels, NMR and dielectric
spectroscopic methods provide a valuable insight into the mechanisms of water binding within the meat structure.