Lengthening the life of fresh food by cooling it down is hardly a new idea. Food, both vegetable and meat, has been preserved in winter months by placing it in cooler areas, with such as natural caves and dug cellars. Freezing food outright is more difficult, although winter frosts have been used to do this naturally.
When food is frozen, decomposition slows down as any residual moisture is frozen, which slows down the growth of most bacteria. Food can be mechanically frozen, which is slow, or cryogenically, which is fast. The faster food is frozen, the better it retains its structure and texture once thawed out.
Modern freezing started in the 19th century and advances over the years allow foods to be frozen extremely quickly, allowing food to be frozen immediately after harvesting. Frozen fruit and vegetables can be better nutritionally than fresh ones, as frozen foods are frozen within hours of harvesting whilst fresh foods are often at least a few days old by the time they make it into a shop to buy. Freezing the food quickly, both in length of the freezing process and soon after harvest, helps preserve its nutritional value.
No comments:
Post a Comment