ABSTRACT
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
II. Meat Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
A. Prefreezing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
1. Preslaughter Factors Affecting Meat Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
2. Processing Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
B. The Freezing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
1. Freezing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
2. Frozen Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
3. Thawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
C. Processed Meats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
III. Meat Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
A. General Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
B. Spoilage Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
C. Pathogenic Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
IV. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Historically, meat has been a major component of the diet in many cultures around the world, and
remains so today. However, meat is a highly perishable food commodity which unless appropriately
modified or stored, will rapidly spoil from the growth and by-products of microorganisms, as well
as develop unpalatable characteristics because of endogenous biochemical degradation of the meat
components. Before the advent of technology enabling refrigeration and freezing as preservation
methods, traditional means of meat preservation were largely either drying or salting. However,
these methods change the taste and texture of the meat and meat products. Meat preservation by
freezing has been used for centuries as local production of meat exceeded the immediate require-
ments for consumption. An approximate storage life for frozen meat is between 10 and 24 months if
stored at 2188C, and between 15 and 24 months if stored at 2248C [1]. Research in the late 19th century indicated that frozen storage did not compromise the quality
of red meats, and one of the first practical demonstrations of this was on 5th February, 1882, when a
cargo of frozen meat was dispatched from New Zealand to England and arrived in excellent con-
dition [2]. The retail revolution in consumer packs of frozen meats began in the 1930s in the USA,
with fruit and vegetables, meats and fishes being successfully marketed. Since then, the number and
variety of frozen foods has grown immensely, adapting to changing consumer needs. The range of
meat cuts and meat products available to processors, retailers, and consumers is now huge, and meat
may be frozen as carcasses, as packaged primal or consumer cuts, or as a range of processed meat
products.
