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January 5, 2010 | Comments: 1

Does Freezing Kill Bacteria in Food?

Q: Does freezing kill bacteria in food? Does it destroy nutrients and fiber? Are you better off avoiding frozen food and eating 
only fresh?

A: Freezing does not kill most microbes, but puts them in a dormant state. Thus, frozen food cannot spoil if it stays frozen. When you thaw frozen foods, especially meats and fish, you should cook them to the same degree of doneness as if they had been fresh. (Fish intended for sushi is usually deep-frozen to kill parasites, but most home freezers are not cold enough for this.)

As for nutrients, frozen fruits and vegetables retain their nutrients almost as well 
as fresh, provided they are quick-frozen, packed in airtight containers, and kept frozen during shipping and marketing. Any kind of processing, whether it’s freezing or cooking, destroys some vitamins. But fresh foods also lose nutrients, especially if not properly handled, or if they sit in the market or your refrigerator too long. If vegetables are harvested and quick-frozen immediately on site, they may have more vitamins than fresh ones transported across the continent.

Frozen fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish may or may not taste as good as fresh, but the difference in nutrition is slight—frozen foods will still have plenty of vitamins. Of course, some foods don’t freeze well—for example, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, eggs in the shell, sour cream, or cooked potatoes.

Don’t buy packages with ice crystals or other signs of melting and refreezing. Buy frozen foods just before checking out, and take them straight home. It’s often economical as well as convenient to freeze your own meats, casseroles, and other foods at home. Wrap the frozen food in airtight plastic or put it in a freezer container to conserve flavor and quality. Label and date what you freeze, and try to use it within a few months, for best quality. According to the USDA, food frozen at 0°F. (-18°C.) will be safe indefinitely.

It is not true, as some people claim, that freezing destroys or degrades fiber.

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