Basis for a method of characterization for quick frozen beef

For better commercial development simple methods of quality control are needed to distinguish between quick frozen and normally frozen products. Usually the specifications for quick frozen meat have been limited to a description of the freezing process rather than to the establishment of quality standards which could be detected by tests on the product itself. In a previous paper a maximum in the weight of drip obtained on thawing was identified at local freezing times (-1°C to -7°C) of 17 min. The higher the freezing rate, the deeper the position of this maximum. Simultaneously, a computer model was developed to define the local freezing time and link it with an average freezing rate, through the simulation of heat transfer, during meat processing in plane freezers. On these bases a characterisation of quick frozen meat has been quantitatively developed in terms of the maximum position.