In order to explore the effect of direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) magnetic field (MF) on the biological (fruits and vegetables) phase transformation and ice crystal formation, we used carrot strips (0.5 × 0.5 × 1 cm³) and put them at low temperature control panel. The samples were frozen under AC and DC MF of 50 Hz with different intensities, i.e., 0, 0.46, 0.9, 1.8, 3.6, and 7.2 mT. The ice crystals formation during the process of cell freezing was observed and recorded using the optical microscope, and the beginning and ending time of the phase transformation with the corresponding temperatures were determined. The results show that the DC and AC MF situations compared to non-MF can decrease ice crystal volume and be more flocculent. The changes will reduce the cell membrane damage rate. The increase of magnetic field intensity delays the phase change time and leads to a shorter phase transition duration, a reduction in the cells’s lowest noncrystallization temperature is also observed. Such changes in thermal dynamic process and size elementary freezing (rapid formation of small ice crystals) reduce the damage to the quality of fruits and vegetables.

The entropy weight method (EWM) was developed and used to integrate multiple quality indexes of pork to generate a comprehensive measure of quality. The Arrhenius equation and chemical kinetic reaction were used to fit and generate the shelf life prediction model. The pork was stored at the temperatures of 7 °C, 4 °C, 1 °C and −1 °C. Quality indexes, such as drip loss, color, shear force, pH, TAC, TVB-N and TBARS were measured. The results show that low temperatures effectively delay microbial growth and lipid oxidation. The regression coefficients (R²) for the comprehensive scores at each temperature were greater than 0.973 and the activation energy Ea was 9.7354 × 104 kJ mol⁻¹. The predicted shelf life of pork stored at 7 °C, 4 °C, 1 °C and −1 °C was 4.35 d, 6.85 d, 10.88 d and 14.90 d, respectively. In conclusion, EWM is an effective method to predict the shelf life of chilled/supercooled pork.

In order to gain a deeper knowledge of the heat and mass transfer processes in the case of starchy fruits and vegetables during microwave drying, we have conducted an experimental study based on a developed microwave apparatus for drying potato. The changes in the temperature, drying rate, moisture content, thermal parameters, moisture state and distribution of the potatoes samples during the microwave drying process were obtained. The results show that, according to the temperature changes of the samples dried at different microwave powers (600 W, 800 W, 1000 W), the microwave drying process can be divided into three stages: heating stage, constant temperature stage, and cooling stage. The moisture content reduction of the samples in the constant temperature stage accounted for more than 90% of the total reduction. Meanwhile, as the microwave drying process goes by, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the samples both decrease first and then increase, while the volumetric heat capacity presents an opposite trend. Moreover, the range and amplitude of transverse relaxation time of the samples reduce over the drying time, which confirms the existence of massive, outward moisture-migration in the dried samples. The loss of the weakly bound water in the moisture-migration, which is closely related to the starch, has a significant effect on the heat and mass transfer in the dried samples.

In order to study the effects of magnetic field on the freezing characteristics of fruits and vegetables, carrot, potato and broccoli were frozen without and with a magnetic field of intensities 4.6 Gs, 9.2 Gs, 18 Gs and 36 Gs, while recording the temperature changes. The microstructure and temperature change of carrot during freezing were analyzed in detail. The results show that the magnetic field has effects on the freezing process of carrot strips, characterized by a reduction of the phase transition time and a characteristic diversity of the ice crystal formation zone. Crystallization characteristics are similar in the samples without and with a magnetic field of low intensities (4.6 Gs and 9.2 Gs), which show as a non-homogeneous phase transition process in the carrot sample, and the tissue changed showing a sunken, cell morphology variation and increased intercellular space. The freezing is almost homogeneous under a magnetic field of intensities 18 Gs and 36 Gs, then results in a slightly change of cell morphology. In addition, the effects of magnetic field on fruits and vegetables are varying with their species.