Modeling high-intensity ultrasound to enhance shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) brining without compromising crucial purchase attributes

Traditional brining methods, such as immersion, are time-consuming and affect the quality of the food product. Thus, high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) has been studied as a brining-assisted non-thermal technology. However, this approach to shrimp and the assessment of the individual and combined effects of HIUS parameters, for example, time (t), power (P), and salt concentration (SC), is a knowledge gap. This study aimed to model HIUS-brining for improving salt diffusion and water properties while maintaining relevant purchase attributes closer to fresh shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) quality. Our findings suggest HIUS improves salt diffusion, decreasing A_w and enhancing water-holding capacity (WHC). Instead, the increased P reduced hardness and enhanced whiteness. HIUS-brining (22.02 min/267.89 W/6.68%) maximized Na⁺ (2.58%) and WHC (86.31%), minimized A_w (.92), and retained hardness (71.07 N) and whiteness (55.14) close to freshness. Therefore, it is possible to employ HIUS in the shrimp brine to improve salt diffusion without damaging physicochemical attributes.

Practical applications

Despite traditional methods for seafood brining being considered effective, they are time-consuming, taking hours to reach the desirable moisture value. High-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) is an emerging non-thermal technology recently explored as a brining technology for animal-origin food, such as meat. The cavitation induced by HIUS generates gas microbubbles. The implosion increases local temperature and pressure and generates microjets, facilitating the mass transfer (sponge effect) and salt diffusion in the muscle tissues. However, the cavitation mechanism also releases free radicals, resulting in physicochemical alterations during processing, such as damage to color and texture. The present research contributes to providing a better understanding of the application and optimization of HIUS to accelerate the shrimp brining process. The findings herein are promising for the industrial utilization of sonication to obtain brined products without damaging the quality attributes of shrimp.