ABSTRACT
One of the greatest challenges for food technologists is to maintain the quality of food products for an extended period. A decrease in temperature generally decreases the rate of chemical reactions that are responsible for the deterioration in food quality over time; therefore freezing is frequently used to extend the shelf life of food products. However, freezing is not a perfect method of preservation because even at low temperatures deterioration of quality may still occur. The formation of ice may result in textural changes and disruption of cell compartments that cause the release of chemically reactive components. Furthermore, the removal of water during ice formation concentrates the solutes in an unfrozen matrix, which can affect reaction conditions, such as pH and ionic strength. Therefore, in order to extend the shelf life of frozen food products it is crucial to understand the chemical reactions and their kinetics that occur in food components that can lead to quality deterioration.
