The Effect of Wrapping Material on Freezing Rate, Quality and Cooking Losses of Beef Frozen and Stored in Home Freezer Units

Abstract

Meat is an essential food in the daily menu of growing and working Americans. Due to meat production methods and population distribution, this meat must often be preserved for a considerable length of time. If better and more accessible storage methods and facilities were readily available, more meat could be used to great advantage in the diets of all people. It is for these reasons that constant effort is being put forth to find better and more efficient means for its preservation. Freezing as a method of preservation for perishable food products has been used for many years. Artificial freezing of meat was discovered accidentally about 1880, when a refrigerated shipment of meat from Australia to England became frozen enroute. Since that time many improvements have been made in the methods of refrigeration. The increased popularity of freezing meat led to the development of the frozen food locker system which was inaugurated in 1908. Home freezers are the latest innovation for food preservation. These have increased in popularity and present estimates are that about 1,4000,000 units are being used in American homes today