Freezing Preservation: Influence on Food Quality

 Few frozen products are eaten in the frozen state. Some products which are usually eaten
in the uncooked condition, such as lettuce, tomato and several foods are not suited for
freeing preservation, because the freezing process leads to a breakdown of cell walls and
often to other frozen injuries.

 In general, for products that will be cooked, freezing & thawing- with no or a very short
period of frozen storage- has little effect on quality, for most quality deterioration takes
place during storage.

The nature of the most important changes caused by freezing preservation are as follows:

1. Concentration of the water phase

2. Drip loss

3. Appearance

4. Physical changes

5. Chemical changes

1. Concentration of the water phase:

• During the freezing process water is converted into ice crystals leading to a concentrated
solution of salts, minerals & other substances

• This increased concentration of solutes often causes changes in pH which can influence
product quality

• Many physicochemical changes increase with increasing solute concentration in the water
phase, but may, at the same time, decrease with colder temperatures

2. Drip Loss:

• Thawing is often accompanied by the release of a fluid from the frozen product which is
known as drip.

• The amount of drip depends not only on the type of the product & the surface area, but
also on the freezing method, storage condition & thawing method.

• Drip loss leads to the loss of nutrients, affects texture & juiciness and modifies the
appearance of the product.
3. Appearance:

• The freezing method often has limited or no influence on the eating quality of the thawed
(cooked) product.

• A quick frozen product will have a light appearance & a slow- frozen product will be
dark.

• After thawing there will be no difference in appearance between a slow- and a quick-
frozen product.

4. Physical Changes:

Physical changes of frozen foods are due to:

i. Desiccation
ii. Recrystallisation

Desiccation:

In the absence of water, a condition known as desiccation, microorganisms can not grow or
reproduce but can remain viable for years. Desiccation can occur during freezing & thawing as
well as during freezer storage.

a) Unpackaged products:

• It is inevitable that water evaporates from unpackaged frozen foods.

• During the freezing process, the moisture losses vary from 0.5 to 2 per cent or more,
depending on the freezing method & the product.

• Fast freezing lowers the surface temperature of the product quickly to a temperature
where evaporation or sublimation is nearly negligible.

• The weight loss of unpackaged products may be half the weight loss at -18C.

b) Packaged products:

• In most cases, the packaging will be a plastic pouch with a rather low water vapor
permeability.

• If the packaging does not fit tightly around the product, water will evaporate from the
product and deposit on the inside of the package as frost, so-called in-package
desiccation.
Freezer Burn:

• It is a condition that occurs when frozen food has been damaged by dehydration and
oxidation, due to air reaching the food.

• Desiccation leads to a undesirable moisture loss

• After some desiccation, small white spots are formed on the surface, for example,
chickens.

• The appearance of the thawed product is unaffected

• Continued desiccation, however, results in the removal of ice from surface layers, so
allowing free excess of oxygen.

• Eventually, this leads to irreversible deterioration of taste, texture & appearance, i.e.,
freezer burn, which is often seen as grey or brown discoloration of the surface.

• Freezer burn is especially a problem in animal foods ( meat, poultry, fish).

Recrystallisation :

• Modifications in the size, shape or orientation of the ice crystals are known as
recrystallisation & usually lead to quality losses in some products.

• It reduces the advantage of fast freezing leading to physicochemical changes of food

products.

4. Chemical changes:

• The freezing process results in few chemical changes like change in texture, appearance,
flavor & nutritional value.

• The main chemical changes verified during freezing & frozen storage are related with
lipid oxidation, protein denaturation, enzymatic browning & degradation of pigments and
vitamins.

a) Texture: optimal texture varies from food to food. In fruits & vegetables, it is the proper
turgor and/or crispness. In meat , poultry & fish, it is the proper degree of tenderness. In
sauces , it is uniformity.
Proteins: protein denaturation refers to changes in the properties of a protein. Most proteins are
stable to freezing, although some enzymes are damaged by freezing. Oxygen has some influence
on the changes in proteins.

- In fish, freezing often results in a certain denaturation of protein leading to toughness &
dryness.The increased concentration of salt is presumably the main explanation.
- The myosin of beef & poultry is much more stable.
- Thawed egg yolk is gummy & partially coagulated, and this change occurs at
temperatures below -5.50C due to lipoprotein aggregation. The effect is minimized by
adding salt or sugar before freezing.
- Slow freezing is especially harmful , as large ice crystals leave large holes, and the water
frozen out is not reabsorbed during thawing, leading to a high drip loss.

Starch: Deterioration of amylose results in a separation of liquid upon thawing, a aphenomenon

which influences the stability of frozen products, such as sauces, desserts & cooked foods
thickened with starchy agents. The use of amylopectin or modified starches as thickening agents
result in products much more stable to frozen storage.

Pectin: Pectinesterase may cause “cloud loss”after reconstitution of frozen concentrated citrus
juice.

b) Appearance :

• Any change in appearance from the natural character is regarded as quality defect, and in
many green vegetables, the change of chlorophyll to pheophytin is a well known process
due to simple hydrolysis. The bright green color becomes more dull & yellow, specially
at temperature warmer than -18C. Proper blanching & proper storage temperatures
minimize this quality defects.

• The color of frozen beef often deteriorates during frozen storage. In fresh beef, the
myoglobin is found in the oxygenated form, oxymyoglobin, which is bright red. In
vaccum packaged beef oxymyoglobin is reduced to purple myoglobin. During frozen
storage, myoglobin is oxidized to the brown metmyoglobin, presumably a
photooxidation. It has been shown thatth ebright red color in beef is stable for months at -
20 C.

• Browning of frozen vegetables like peaches, apples, mushrooms & potatoes, is due
mainly to the interaction of an enzyme, polyphenol oxidase with oxygen & colorless
phenolic substances, resulting in the formation of brown polymers. The reaction can be
prevented by adding reducing agents such as ascorbic acid or sulphur dioxide. A
packaging method which excludes oxygen prevents this reaction. Some vegetables
develop off colors when stored at temperatures warmer than -18 C.
c) Flavor:

• Flavor & odor changes occur during the frozen storage of most foodstuffs, specially in
foods with a high lipid content.

• Rancidity is the result of oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids & through a group of
reactions, a range of organic compounds are produced including saturated and
unsaturated aldehydes, ketones and alcohols. Aldehydes are the main cause of off flavor
and odor, and they may also react with amino acids to form colored compounds . This is
seen in frozen fatty fish, where rancidity is accompanied by yellow to brown
discoloration. Rancidity is retarded or prevented by adding antioxidants or by proper
packaging.

• Off flavor & odor in foods with a low content of lipids is caused by relatively unknown
reactions.

Factors Affecting Chemical Changes:

• Initial substrate concentration

• PH, Aw, O
• Handling and processing
• Time & temperature

Prevention of chemical changes:

• Inactivation of enzymes

• Low temperature storage

• Alteration of pH

• Exclusion of oxygen