Storage and reheating strategies for pre-cooked roasted suckling pig: Preserving quality during storage, restoring crispness and flavor upon reheating.

Hainan-style roasted suckling pig (RSP) is a traditional product whose shelf-life and marketability are limited by quality deterioration during storage and poor re-crisping upon reheating. In this study, distinct combinations of packaging methods, storage temperatures, and reheating techniques were evaluated for their effects on the physicochemical properties, oxidation level, and volatile flavor profiles of RSP. Vacuum-sealed aluminum foil packaging paired with freezing at -20 °C inhibited quality deterioration, preserving the myofibrillar structure and water-holding capacity of the meat. Subsequent charcoal reheating significantly restored skin crispness and retained major volatile flavor compounds, including alcohols and aromatic hydrocarbons, resulting in similar sensory characteristics to fresh RSP. In contrast, storage at 4 °C followed by microwave reheating accelerated lipid oxidation and moisture loss, leading to a significant reduction in crispness and flavor intensity. Therefore, the combination of vacuum-sealed aluminum foil freezing and charcoal reheating provided an effective strategy for maintaining and restoring RSP quality.