Abstract: Immersion chilling and freezing (ICF) is a new low-temperature processing technology with the features of instantaneousness and energy saving. In this study, the quality changes of sturgeon in terms of various parameters were comparatively investigated under the processing conditions of ICF and traditional air freezing (TAF) during 6 months of storage. Results indicated that the freezing rate of ICF was 12.47 times higher than TAF, and ICF could maintain relatively better the texture of sturgeon muscle. In addition, the resilience and L* value of sturgeon during ICF were higher than during TAF (P < 0.05), and a significant difference was also recorded in total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and peroxide value (POV) (P < 0.05). Thus ICF can better maintain the quality of frozen sturgeon, and it can be used in the freshness maintenance of sturgeon during storage.

Key words: sturgeon, immersion chilling and freezing technique, storage, electron microscope