Abstract: Freezing and thawing are crucial steps in the storage and processing of meat and its products, directly affecting their quality, nutritional value, and food safety. Although traditional freezing technology (such as air freezing, liquid nitrogen immersion freezing, and immersion freezing) can effectively extend the storage period, they still have obvious limitations in practical application. During the freezing process, large ice crystals often form, resulting in significant loss of juice after thawing; at the same time, freezing suffers from high cost, which restricts its large-scale industrial application. Similarly, traditional thawing methods (such as air thawing and water thawing) are also plagued by low efficiency and easy microbial proliferation. To overcome these limitations, a series of new freezing techniques (such as high-pressure freezing, magnetic field freezing, and ultrasonic freezing) and new thawing techniques (such as vacuum thawing, magnetic field thawing, and microwave thawing) have been developed successively. These new technologies significantly improve the quality preservation of meat and its products by regulating the size and shape of ice crystals, shortening the freezing and thawing time, and reducing tissue damage. This article systematically synthesizes the research progress on freezing and thawing technologies and analyzes their advantages, disadvantages, and application prospects, providing a scientific basis for future research directions and technological upgrading in the meat industry.

Key words: meat and its products; freezing technology; thawing technology; physical field assistance; meat quality