Freezer burn is a condition that occurs when frozen
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
has been damaged by dehydration and oxidation due to air reaching the food. 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. 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. Fluctuation of temperatures in a freezer, such that the temperature does not remain consistently below -18°C, can also speed up freezer burn.
See also
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Freeze drying
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, thereby removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by ...
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Ice crystals
Ice crystals are solid water (known as ice) in crystal structure, symmetrical shapes including hexagonal crystal family, hexagonal columns, hexagonal plates, and dendrite (crystal), dendritic crystals. Ice crystals are responsible for various at ...
References
Inline citations
General and cited references
Are You Storing Food Safely?��United States Food and Drug Administration
Food preservation
Frozen food
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