Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of a low-voltage electrostatic field (LVEF) on the quality of frozen sheep liver.Methods Fresh sheep liver was used as raw material, cooked, and then frozen under different temperatures (-20, -40 ℃) with LVEF assistance. Periodic sampling was conducted to analyze changes in color, thawing loss rate, pH value, hardness, chewiness, total viable count (TVC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), vitamin A content, microstructure, and moisture distribution during storage.Results After 30 days of storage, the TVC, TVB-N content, pH value, and vitamin A content in the LVEF-assisted -40 ℃ group were 3.38 lg(CFU/g), 13.37 mg/100 g, 6.06, and 8 016 μg/100 g, respectively. The thawing loss rate, color, hardness, and chewiness in this group were higher than those in the control group, indicating significantly better storage quality (P<0.05). Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the LVEF-treated samples exhibited a neatly and tightly arranged structure with minimal damage. T2 relaxation time analysis demonstrated that LVEF effectively prevented the transition of immobilized water into free water, thereby improving the water retention capacity of sheep liver.Conclusion LVEF can mitigate changes in the storage quality of sheep liver and reduce ice crystal damage to its internal structure after freezing.