biostudies-literatureLou AKey Project of Research and Development Plan of Hunan ProvinceKey Research and Development Program of Hunan Province of China103164https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12553055biostudies-literatureUnknown31To investigate the effects of four freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles on the quality, protein properties, and volatile flavor compounds of stir-fried Zhijiang duck meat, providing a scientific basis for mitigating deterioration. The results indicated that the pH value, water-holding capacity, chewiness, and total sulfhydryl content decreased significantly with more F-T cycles. Conversely, the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), acid content, carbonyl content, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) increased significantly with increasing F-T cycles. After 3 cycles, TVB-N reached 20.83 mg/100 g, above the spoilage limit. The α-helix content decreased from 17.87 % to 7.73 %. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining showed that more F-T cycles caused irreversible cellular damage. TFood chemistry: XEffects of freeze-thaw cycles on the quality and flavor profiles of stir-fried ZhiJiang duck.PMC125530552024JK2155Lou ALiu YZhou LJin XShen QWen CWu YQuan WfalseEffects of freeze-thaw cycles on the quality and flavor profiles of stir-fried ZhiJiang duck.To investigate the effects of four freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles on the quality, protein properties, and volatile flavor compounds of stir-fried Zhijiang duck meat, providing a scientific basis for mitigating deterioration. The results indicated that the pH value, water-holding capacity, chewiness, and total sulfhydryl content decreased significantly with more F-T cycles. Conversely, the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), acid content, carbonyl content, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) increased significantly with increasing F-T cycles. After 3 cycles, TVB-N reached 20.83 mg/100 g, above the spoilage limit. The α-helix content decreased from 17.87 % to 7.73 %. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining showed that more F-T cycles caused irreversible cellular damage. T2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Oct2026-06-05T05:21:32.846Z2026-06-04T03:06:12.833ZS-EPMC125530554114059310.1016/j.fochx.2025.103164