Synergistic frozen storage-thermal processing drives tilapia muscle quality deterioration via protein structural transitions and regulation.

Gaigai Niu, Xingyang Liao, Jialu Wu, Gang You

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Article in Food chemistry: X, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 authors.

Gaigai NiuCollege of Food Engineering, Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Product Healthy Aquaculture and Green Processing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Engineering Research Center of Marine Food Nutrition and Processing Technology Innovation, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.

Xingyang LiaoCollege of Food Engineering, Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Product Healthy Aquaculture and Green Processing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Engineering Research Center of Marine Food Nutrition and Processing Technology Innovation, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.

Jialu WuCollege of Food Engineering, Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Product Healthy Aquaculture and Green Processing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Engineering Research Center of Marine Food Nutrition and Processing Technology Innovation, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.

Gang YouCollege of Food Engineering, Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Product Healthy Aquaculture and Green Processing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Engineering Research Center of Marine Food Nutrition and Processing Technology Innovation, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study elucidates the synergistic deterioration of tilapia muscle quality during frozen storage (0-120 days) and thermal processing (3-9 min), identifying critical thresholds for quality preservation. Prolonged freezing (>60 days) and extended heating (>5 min) synergistically amplified texture loss, umami depletion, and protein structural damage (α-helix disruption, β-sheet gain), exceeding additive effects. Short heating (≤5 min) mitigated freeze-induced texture degradation and preserved umami dominance, while extended heating triggered irreversible protein aggregation and bitterness. Mechanistically, ice-crystal-induced myofibrillar weakening during freezing was amplified by thermal processing, accelerating hydrophobic exposure and matrix collapse. These findings establish ≤60-day storage and ≤5-min heating as pivotal thresholds to optimize frozen aquatic product processing, offering actionable guidelines for industrial quality control.

Indexed as

Protein structural transitionsShort-time heating mitigationSynergistic frozen-thermal deteriorationTilapia quality degradation

Identifiers

PMID41717366

DOI10.1016/j.fochx.2026.103617

PMCPMC12914801

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.