Stopping the spoilers in freezing

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STOPPING THE SPOILERS

Extreme cold, and that means temperatures of zero degrees F or lower, is what stops the growth of the microorganisms in or around food that can cause spoilage. Zero temperatures also slow down enzyme activity and oxidation, which are chemical changes affecting the color, flavor, and texture of food. Although cold doesn't kill off these spoilers the way heating at high temperatures for canning does, freezing halts their activity during the time the food is stored.

There are five major spoilers that can affect frozen food if it isn't handled properly.

1. Bacteria, yeasts, and molds are normally present in all fresh foods. When these begin to multiply rapidly, spoilage occurs. You can stop these spoilers in their tracks by using the highest quality vegetables and other foods, by preparing them under the most sanitary conditions, and by storing food at the specified, very cold temperatures.

2. Enzymes, also normally present in all food, work to bring about chemical changes in it. These changes result in spoilage unless enzyme activity is stopped before food is frozen. Enzymes can destroy the fresh flavor of vegetables and cause them to take on an off color. You can stop enzyme activity by blanching vegetables before freezing them.

3. Freezer burn affects foods that haven't been wrapped carefully enough. If exposed surfaces on the food come in contact with the dry air of the freezer, moisture is lost, and dry, tough surfaces develop. You can control freezer burn by using moisture/vaporproof packaging materials that are airtight when sealed.

4. Large ice crystals occur when food isn't frozen quickly enough.

Quick freezing means storing foods at zero degrees F or even sub zero temperatures. If foods freeze too slowly, moisture from the cells in the food fibers forms ice crystals between the fibers, and the product loses liquid and may darken. Quick freezing at zero temperatures locks the cells in the food fiber in their proper places.

5. Oxidation is a chemical change that occurs when frozen foods are exposed to oxygen. The oxygen reacts chemically with other substances in the foods to create changes that affect the quality of that food.

To prevent loss of quality due to oxidation, fill and seal your freezer containers correctly and carefully.

Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995 Submitted By DOROTHY FLATMAN On 09-28-95

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