Vegetables, meat, and other fresh raw materials used in frozen food are generally provided by nearby farms or planting bases. After harvesting, they are directly distributed to frozen food processing plants. The time from picking to freezing is very short, and formal freezing processing is required. The factory will test the quality of the food, and after confirming it is qualified, it will be cleaned before it is used for processing.
Does food lose a lot of nutrients after freezing?
Processed foods that have undergone flash freezing have a minimal nutrient loss. In addition, storage at a constant temperature of minus 18 ℃ can keep the nutritional value of food in an ideal state.
Are frozen fruits and vegetables much less nutritious than fresh ones?
Studies have shown that frozen fruits and vegetables have the same nutritional value as fresh fruits and vegetables and may even have higher nutritional value than some fresh fruits and vegetables. Because fresh fruits and vegetables take several days to reach the kitchen after being picked, especially when these fruits and vegetables are fully exposed to heat and light, many vitamins and antioxidants will be lost during transportation. Of course, if fresh fruits and vegetables are delivered to consumers as soon as possible through the cold chain, the nutritional loss will be very small.
Will the nutritional value of frozen food change after repeated freezing?
The answer is yes. When the frozen food is thawed for the first time, the water in the food will be redistributed, and the water in the cells will be lost to the outside so that those nutrients that are easily soluble in water, such as certain vitamins, will be lost. At the same time, the small ice crystals will continue to grow larger so that the damage of the ice crystals to the cells will increase, and a lot of nutrients are lost when thawed again. Therefore, frozen food should not be frozen repeatedly.