Effects of Low-Frequency Solid-State Microwave Cooking on the Quality Properties of Beef Meat

TL;DR

This study compares solid-state microwave cooking with traditional methods for beef meat quality, finding faster cooking times but higher moisture and fat loss.

Contribution

The study introduces solid-state microwave cooking as a novel method for beef meat processing and evaluates its impact on quality properties.

Findings

Solid-state microwave cooking reduced cooking time compared to conventional oven cooking.

Solid-state microwave cooking caused higher cooking loss in beef steak and increased lipid oxidation in minced beef.

Color development was improved with solid-state microwave cooking compared to traditional microwave cooking.

Abstract

Solid-state microwave technology has emerged as an alternative to conventional magnetron-based microwave systems due to its precise frequency control and potential to improve heating uniformity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of solid-state microwave cooking at 912–913 MHz on the quality characteristics of beef steak and minced beef in comparison with conventional oven cooking and traditional microwave cooking (2450 MHz). Meat samples were cooked to an internal temperature of 75 °C, and cooking time, weight loss, moisture content, lipid oxidation (TBARS), total soluble protein (TSP), color attributes, and texture properties were evaluated. Solid-state microwave cooking resulted in shorter cooking times compared to conventional oven cooking. However, it caused significantly higher cooking loss in beef steak (48.1%) compared to conventional (34.8%) and microwave cooking (42.4%) (p ≤ 0.05). In minced beef, solid-state microwave cooking led to significantly higher TBARS values (1.56 mg MDA/kg) than conventional cooking (1.07 mg MDA/kg) (p ≤ 0.05), indicating increased lipid oxidation. No significant differences were observed among cooking methods for total soluble protein content and several texture parameters (p > 0.05). Solid-state microwave cooking produced improved color development compared to traditional microwave cooking. Overall, solid-state microwave cooking shows potential advantages in processing time and color formation; however, increased cooking loss and lipid oxidation indicate that optimization of processing conditions is necessary to limit undesirable quality changes.

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