Food Preservation by Freezing
Frozen vegetables and herbs, prepared foods, gourmet ice cream Since the introduction of frozen foods in the 1930s, the variety of frozen foods in supermarkets has increased significantly. In this article, Food Today describes the freezing food preservation process and its role in preserving food and providing convenience and diversity. The use of cold to preserve food dates back to prehistoric times when people used to snow and ice to keep hunting. Sir Francis Bacon is said to have suffered fatal pneumonia after trying to freeze his chicken by filling his carcass with snow. It was not until the 1930s that commercially frozen foods began to be sold after the discovery of the quick freezing method. How does food be preserved by freezing? Freezing slows spoilage and keeps food safe by preventing the growth of microorganisms and slowing down the enzymatic activity that spoils food. Water in food freezes into ice crystals, making water unavailable to the microorganisms needed for gro