Food Research Institute

Tsagareishvili, D. – Tavdidishvili, D. – Sesikashvili, O. – Gamkrelidze, E.
The influence of the freezing regimes on the quality, physical-chemical and functional-technological characteristics of quail meat and semi-finished products from it


Otari Sesikashvili, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering – Technical, Akaki Tsereteli State University, 59 Tamar Mepe Str., 4600 Kutaisi, Georgia. E-mail: otar.sesikashvili@atsu.edu.ge

Original article
Received 12 June 2024; 1st revised 10 July 2024; accepted 30 July 2024.

Summary: The freezing dynamics of quail meat and minced semi-finished products are studied using different modes of the freezing process; the cooling-freezing curves are constructed, and the durations of the cooling, crystal formation, and freezing processes are determined. The physical-chemical and functional-technological characteristics of samples frozen by different methods have been investigated. It is established that the best results are achieved with the shock freezing method at temperature (–30 ℃) using speed 9.4 m·s^-1 and humidity 85 %, during which mass losses amounted to 0.5 % and 0.7 %, respectively, in the case of quail meat and minced semi-finished products, water holding capacity 72 % and 68 % and water binding capacity 67 % and 80 %, respectively. The characteristic of fat retention of unfrozen quail meat was established at 25 %. It was determined that the pH value of quail meat and minced semi-finished product delayed for five weeks by quick freezing in storage cells was 5.79 and 5.8 respectively, and the values of acid number were 5.25 mmol·kg^-1 and 5.27 mmol·kg^-1 and peroxide value was 9.1 mmol·kg^-1 and 9.7 mmol·kg^-1, respectively.

Keywords: quail breast meat; shock freezing; minced semi-finished product; quality characteristics; physical-chemical characteristics; functional-technological characteristics