1.1 Introduction
Frozen ready meals can be defined as complete meals which need no additional ingredients as opposed to part meals also known as “meal centers” such as fish portions, fish fingers, and pies, to which consumers can add vegetables, pasta, or rice (Shove et al., 2000). Freezing is a well-established food preservation process that produces high quality nutritious foods that offer the advantage of a long storage life. However, freezing is not suitable for all foods and freezing does cause physical and chemical changes in many foods that are perceived as reducing the quality of the thawed material. There is a general view that fast freezing, and the formation of small ice crystals, offers some quality advantages. However, this is not true of all foods. For example, while freezing rate may affect drip in meat there is no evidence that it has any substantial influence on its final eating quality. Nevertheless, many innovative freezing processes are currently being researched and developed across the globe to improve freezing times and product quality (Newfoodmagazine et al., 2021).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Natural food freezing (using winter frosts) had been in use by people in cold climates for centuries. In 1861 Thomas Sutcliffe Mort established at Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia, the world's first freezing works, which later became the New South Wales Fresh Food and Ice Company. Mort financed experiments by Eugene Dominic Nicolle, a French born engineer who had arrived in Sydney in 1853 and registered his first ice-making patent in 1861. The first trial shipment of frozen meat to London was in 1868. Although their machinery was never used in the frozen meat trade, Mort and Nicolle developed commercially viable systems for domestic trade. The financial return on that investment was minimal for Mort.
By 1885 a small number of chickens and geese were being shipped from Russia to London in insulated cases using this technique. By March 1899, the "British Refrigeration and Allied Interests" reported that a food importing business, "Baerselman Bros", was shipping some 200,000 frozen geese and chickens per week from three Russian depots to New Star Wharf, Lower Shadwell, London over three or four winter months. This trade in frozen food was enabled by the introduction of Linde cold air freezing plants in three Russian depots and the London warehouse. The Shadwell warehouse stored the frozen goods until they were shipped to markets in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. The techniques were later expanded to the meat packing industry.
From 1929, Clarence Birdseye introduced "flash freezing" to the American public. Birdseye first became interested in food freezing during fur-trapping expeditions to Labrador in 1912 and 1916, where he saw the natives use natural freezing to preserve foods (Gould et al., 2000). The Icelandic Fisheries Commission was created in 1934 to initiate innovation in the industry, and encouraged fishermen to start quick-freezing their catch. More advanced attempts include food frozen for Eleanor Roosevelt on her trip to Russia. Other experiments involving orange juice, ice cream and vegetables were conducted by the military near the end of World War II.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to examine the Danger in Consumption of Frozen Food.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that freezing is an effective form of food preservation because the pathogens that cause food spoilage are killed or do not grow very rapidly at reduced temperatures. The process is less effective in food preservation than are thermal techniques, such as boiling, because pathogens are more likely to be able to survive cold temperatures rather than hot temperatures (Tressler, 2022). One of the problems surrounding the use of freezing as a method of food preservation is the danger that pathogens deactivated (but not killed) by the process will once again become active when the frozen food thaws. Capital cost of equipment is one obstacle holding back further development of pressure shift freezing, as is the inherent batch nature of the current process and the long pre-cooling step required before nucleation; however, the penetration of other high pressure processes into the food industry may begin to solve these problems.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Danger in Consumption of Frozen Food. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the significant physical and chemical changes that had occurred onto the frozen foods;
- To find out the easiest way to preserve food within short handling time;
- To examine the effect of frozen food consumption in human body; and
- To provide information on how to improve product quality through rapid freezing.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the significant physical and chemical changes that had occurred onto the frozen foods?
- What is the easiest way to preserve food within short handling time?
- What is the effect of frozen food consumption in human body?
- What are the ways to improve product quality through rapid freezing?
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