The months of confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic put us on alert, especially regarding the issue of food reserves. Many of us learned to freeze products that we only ate fresh because it was easy to find them in the market or supermarket.
However, there are still some doubts to clarify, especially those related to nutrition and food safety, with frozen food.
The category of semi-ready frozen products found in supermarket refrigerators, registered an average increase of 19.66% in its sales during the pandemic, especially in the categories of potatoes, semi-ready snacks with salt and vegetables, explains Galo Miño, from Kypross.
Frozen food properties
● They are nutritious. Frozen food is more nutritious than “fresh” food, this is because the latter go through a long journey to reach the table: it starts from the moment it is harvested, then it goes on to its distribution in different points of sale and In certain cases, it can be exposed to several days in storage or to the environment, heat, light, oxygen, among other conditions, which cause the loss of its natural and nutritional characteristics.
Frozen foods are harvested just when they reach their ripeness point and are immediately pre-cooked, always maintaining their natural characteristics, and finally they are subjected to the industrial rapid deep-freezing (IQF) process. This technique allows the product to be frozen quickly and individually, allowing the ice crystals that form inside the cells of the tissues to be tiny, this prevents the cell walls from breaking.
● They are practical and avoid wasting food. The IQF industrial and individual rapid deep-freezing process prevents frozen blocks of ice from forming on the product, on the contrary, it prevents the food from sticking to each other and facilitates its individual extraction from its container or bag, making it easier make portions to use the amount of product that is necessary at that time. This avoids wasting food, since when food is frozen at home, the entire block needs to be defrosted, and when food is already thawed, it should not be frozen again since losing its cold chain can generate bacteria.
● They are natural. The raw material with which the product is made is 100% natural. The difference is that the natural product is subjected to the deep-freezing process, which is the most effective technique to preserve the freshness and nutritional values of food. This is demonstrated in the declaration of ingredients, traffic light and nutritional table.
● No chemicals or additives. Frozen products are natural, they do not contain chemicals and/or additives, their quality is guaranteed by an adequate harvest, maturity of the product and the deep-freezing process allows to preserve all the characteristics and nutrients of the product.
Advantages of frozen food
● Food can be extracted individually from its packaging, making it easier to consume, using the necessary amount of product, instead of having to defrost everything.
● They save time in preparation, most of these products come pre-cooked, in a matter of minutes it is possible to have an appetizing recipe ready.
● They are convenient and can be prepared in a variety of ways: air fryer, skillet, steamed, stir-fried and more.
● In the case of frozen vegetables, there is no need to clean or cut them and they can be cooked in a very short time. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
