An empirical model to estimate the growth of ice crystals for storage of Tilapia at variable temperature conditions

Abstract

Empirical models can be used to represent the recrystallization process in frozen food as a simple strategy (limited by the complexity of the process). Anyway, the empirical model has a better fit when used within the range of experimental values from which they were generated. In this work, an empirical mathematical model derived from the Arrhenius equation was proposed, since in previous publications it was shown that there is a direct relation between the growth of ice crystals and the temperature oscillations that occur during the storage of frozen products. Equivalent diameter data of ice crystals obtained from the storage of frozen Tilapia analyzed in the optical microscope was used as a database for the formulation of the empirical model. The developed model was acceptable to predict ice crystal growth during recrystallization in frozen Tilapia samples and had the advantage of being simple and robust enough to estimate this growth in the flotation range from -18 to -11 °C After the first 30 days of storage. The average equivalent diameter (D_eq) values predicted by the model indicated that the model provides a satisfactory description of the growth of the crystals with R² equal to 0.930.

Keywords:
empirical model; Arrhenius model; recrystallization; temperature oscillations