Freezer burn is a condition that occurs when frozen food has been damaged by dehydration and oxidation due to air reaching the food.[1] It is generally caused by food not being securely wrapped in air-tight packaging.
Freezer burn appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on frozen food and occurs when air reaches the food's surface and dries the product. Color changes result from chemical changes in the food's pigment. Freezer burn does not make the food unsafe; it merely causes dry spots in foods.[2] The food remains usable and edible, but removing the freezer burns will improve the flavor.
The dehydration of freezer-burned food is caused by water sublimating from the food into the surrounding atmosphere. The lost water may then be deposited elsewhere in the food and packaging as snow-like crystals.[3][4] Fluctuation of temperatures in a freezer above 0 °F (−17.8 °C), can also speed up freezer burn. [5]
See also
edit
References
editInline citations
edit- ^ Library of Congress. "What is 'freezer burn?'". Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2007-09-01.
- ^ "Does 'freezer burn' make food unsafe?". USFDA. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008.
- ^ Heiss, Rudolf (1990). Haltbarmachen von Lebensmitteln : chemische, physikalische und mikrobiologische Grundlagen der Verfahren. K. Eichner (2., neubearbeitete und erw. Aufl ed.). Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-3-662-07666-8. OCLC 689919077.
- ^ Buchner, Norbert (1999). Verpackung von Lebensmitteln : Lebensmitteltechnologische, verpackungstechnische und mikrobiologische Grundlagen. Berlin, Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-642-58585-2. OCLC 913722328.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Library of Congress. "What is 'freezer burn?'". Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2007-09-01.
General references
edit | This food-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |