Chilling, Freezing and Thawing

Abstract

Among other factors, improvements in processing and handling of poultry have resulted in a rapid expansion of the world’s poultry production. Product shelf-life is of major importance in the distribution and consumption of poultry meat, and depends upon the temperature and microbiological condition of the meat. The body temperature of the live bird is ca 41°C and, since little heat is lost during the slaughter process, this would be far too high for proper storage of the product. Chilling and freezing processes are traditionally used for conserving poultry products and thawing of frozen meat is necessary when it is required for further processing or preparation of meals in the kitchen. In the literature, there are many publications dealing with chilling and freezing of poultry but less information is available on thawing.