Evaluation of Hybrid Thawing Techniques on Thawing Efficiency and Quality of Chicken Breast Meat

ABSTRACT Thawing is a crucial stage in poultry processing that impacts product quality. This study investigated the effects of hybrid thawing methods combining air convection (AC), infrared radiation (IR), and a high‐voltage electric field (HV) on the efficiency and physicochemical quality of chicken breast meat. Individual, binary, and the ternary (AC‐IR‐HV) combinations were evaluated. The results revealed a clear trade‐off between thawing speed and product quality. The ternary AC‐IR‐HV method achieved the fastest thawing time. However, treatments incorporating infrared radiation led to statistically significant increases in weight loss, undesirable surface color changes, and greater protein denaturation, as confirmed by analyses including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Conversely, the hybrid AC‐HV method and AC alone were most effective at preserving quality, exhibiting the lowest weight loss and minimal structural damage, though they were slower. These findings suggest that while the AC‐IR‐HV combination can significantly accelerate thawing, it compromises surface quality. Therefore, the AC‐HV method is recommended as a superior approach for applications prioritizing the preservation of meat quality over maximum thawing speed.