Abstract
This study investigated the impact of thawing methods on the roasting quality and flavor of reduced-salt marinated large yellow croaker to optimize processing protocols for frozen products. Three thawing methods, low-temperature thawing (LTT), room-temperature thawing (RTT), and flowing-water thawing (FWT), were systematically evaluated. Freshly marinated (FM) and non-thawed (WT) samples served as controls. Key parameters, including thawing efficiency, physicochemical properties, texture, color, sensory attributes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were analyzed. The results showed that FWT achieved the fastest thawing (14.67 min), significantly outperforming RTT (32.57 min) and LTT (591 min) (p < 0.05). Moisture content and springiness remained stable across treatments (p > 0.05). For color parameters, lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), and browning index (BI) showed no significant variations (p > 0.05), while the total color difference (ΔE) was significantly affected by thawing methods (p < 0.05). FWT exhibited the lowest salt retention (3.49 g/100 g), a 18.8% reduction compared to WT (4.30 g/100 g). Texture analysis revealed that FWT samples maintained optimal hardness and chewiness, with sensory scores second only to WT. Volatile profiling identified distinct "thermal-oxygen-temporal" effects, referring to the respective influences of heating conditions, oxidative environments, and processing time on flavor compound formation. RTT and WT treatments significantly increased the relative 1-propanethiol and 5-methyl-2-furanmethanol (>10% increase) contents, respectively, and markedly reduced the 2-butanol levels (<0.3%) due to volatilization losses. GC-IMS and electronic nose analysis established a robust correlation network among three major VOC clusters (aldehydes/alcohols, esters/acid/sulfides, and ketones), with sensory scores showing strong positive correlations with the alkane- and aromatic-sensitive sensors (W5C/W1C) of the electronic nose (r > 0.90) and negative correlations with other sensors (r < -0.70). These findings demonstrate that FWT offers the best balance of efficiency, salt reduction, and sensory quality, making it a superior method for reduced-salt marinated large yellow croaker industrial applications.