Changes during Food Freezing and Frozen Storage

Dear Colleagues,

An understanding of the frozen food quality deterioration and its relationship with the freezing method applied, ice crystal morphology, food microstructure, glass transition phenomena, temperature storage and temperature fluctuations, can contribute to the improvement of the freezing process and the subsequent handling and storage of food, aiming at preserving an optimum frozen product quality from process to final use or consumption.

Frozen food stability, shelf life kinetics, and especially their mathematical description through appropriate models, are the focus of current studies in order to quantitatively explain and express the effect of temperature, phase transitions, freeze-concentration phenomena, temperature fluctuations at low temperatures, water activity, etc.

Freezing operation parameters modeling and optimization, as well as novel freezing methods applied in order to improve quality retention, process efficiency and energy requirements are also fields of current research.

The subjects covered by this issue include the study of phenomena occurring during freezing, such as ice nucleation, ice crystal growth freezing damage, water migration, recrystallization; freeze burn, based on measurements of ice crystal morphology, cell microstructure and other indices of frozen product quality, applying traditional or innovative methods of analysis (Hyperspectral imaging, near infrared and Raman spectroscopy, DSC, microscopy, Micro X-ray computed tomography and image analysis, SEM, NMR/MRI, etc). In the same context, special focus is also to be given on glass transition phenomena, and their effect on frozen food quality and stability. Another are of interest refers to novel freezing methods to minimize cell damage (such as high pressure freezing, Ultrasound assisted immersion freezing, Electric and magnetic field assisted freezing, Vacuum impregnation with cryoprotectant solution, Gas hydrate formation technique). The effect of pretreatments on quality attributes of frozen foods, as well as the kinetics of the freezing process and the mathematical modeling of products’ post processing shelf life   are also among the main subjects of this Special Issue. Smart freezing and block chain technology, cold chain recording, management, control and optimization are also areas of increasing scientific interest. Finally, methods of extending frozen food shelf life, such as the use of essential oils, antimicrobials, extracts, etc are also to be considered for publication.

Prof. Dr. Petros S. Taoukis
Dr. Maria C. Giannakourou
Guest Editors

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