Abstract: Five different thawing methods including natural air thawing, water soaking thawing, ?owing water thawing, microwave thawing and ultrasonic thawing were individually used to thaw frozen squid. The differences in thawing time, and the water-holding capacity, color, pH, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, sufhydryl content and texture properties of thawed squid were analyzed. Meanwhile, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to determine the transverse relaxation time T2, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and optical microstructure observation of thawed squid were conducted. The results indicated that the thawing time of microwave thawing was the shortest, followed by ?owing water thawing. Flowing water-thawed squid had higher water-holding capacity as compared to the other thawing methods, and maintained its compact microstructure with intramuscular membranes remaining intact. With respect to color, pH and the oxidation degree of protein and fat, ?owing water thawing were the best of the five thawing methods. Although ultrasonicthawed squid had the best texture properties, the spacing between muscle fiber bundles was locally enlarged because of the concussion of water during the thawing process. Overall, ?owing water thawing is an ideal thawing method for frozen squid.

Key words: squid, thawing methods, ?owing water thawing, central temperature, quality