I was reading these articles regarding the selection and storage of frozen foods and was curious what others thoughts were on freezing temperatures/storage time and how it affects the quality of frozen foods.
Part One
http://fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrit...sedJaw.com:+Seahorses,+Pipefish+&+Seadragons)
Part Two
http://fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrit...sedJaw.com:+Seahorses,+Pipefish+&+Seadragons)
The author states that freezing food inactivates the enzymes that would cause the breakdown of good fats and protein in the food. The rate at which the quality degrades depends on the temperature that it is stored at. If these proteins/fats break down it doesn?t necessarily render the food ?bad?, it just reduces the quality of the food. The articles states that frozen foods should be stored at a temperature of -22 F for the longest storage times but the freezers most of us have at home don?t reach. Frozen food manufacturers will use commercial freezers to achieve these low temps to preserve the quality of their products.
Over the last week, I?ve asked three reputable LFS about the storage temperatures of their frozen foods and both times I received 0 to -5 F as the answer. This didn?t surprise me as many stores use a standard home freezer to store their products. They each had an additional freezer with the manufacturer of a popular food brand on it which made me think that this was possibly the ?colder? freezers that the article was alluding to however that was not the case; same temperature.
I certainly don?t have a commercial freezer and don?t know of other hobbyists that do so I?m still not sure how crucial these colder temp requirements are but found it an interesting read nonetheless. Reefers have been storing their frozen foods in regular freezers and have their fish live for many years so definitely not a must but it?d be great to hear from people that do have a ?colder? freezer to store their food.
Another thing the author brought up is the storage time of frozen foods and how the quality will degrade after a few months depending on the food. At the moment I feed Hikari frozen myssis and the pack of cubes doesn?t last me longer than a month or so but there?s no way to tell how long it?s been in the LFS for. Although some of these products come with an expiration date, the date may be misleading as it is affected by the temperature that the food is stored at. I?ve been researching how to make my own food blend which is how I stumbled across these articles and recall many other hobbyists who make their own foods and store them for months on end. They?ll just have sheets of the frozen food they make in their freezer so they won?t have to make it more than once or twice a year. Whenever I decide to make my own food, I may just make smaller quantities to last me 2-3 months.
Interesting insight to something we all have to deal with in the hobby. Would like to hear other?s thoughts on it.
Part One
http://fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrit...sedJaw.com:+Seahorses,+Pipefish+&+Seadragons)
Part Two
http://fusedjaw.com/food-and-nutrit...sedJaw.com:+Seahorses,+Pipefish+&+Seadragons)
The author states that freezing food inactivates the enzymes that would cause the breakdown of good fats and protein in the food. The rate at which the quality degrades depends on the temperature that it is stored at. If these proteins/fats break down it doesn?t necessarily render the food ?bad?, it just reduces the quality of the food. The articles states that frozen foods should be stored at a temperature of -22 F for the longest storage times but the freezers most of us have at home don?t reach. Frozen food manufacturers will use commercial freezers to achieve these low temps to preserve the quality of their products.
Over the last week, I?ve asked three reputable LFS about the storage temperatures of their frozen foods and both times I received 0 to -5 F as the answer. This didn?t surprise me as many stores use a standard home freezer to store their products. They each had an additional freezer with the manufacturer of a popular food brand on it which made me think that this was possibly the ?colder? freezers that the article was alluding to however that was not the case; same temperature.
I certainly don?t have a commercial freezer and don?t know of other hobbyists that do so I?m still not sure how crucial these colder temp requirements are but found it an interesting read nonetheless. Reefers have been storing their frozen foods in regular freezers and have their fish live for many years so definitely not a must but it?d be great to hear from people that do have a ?colder? freezer to store their food.
Another thing the author brought up is the storage time of frozen foods and how the quality will degrade after a few months depending on the food. At the moment I feed Hikari frozen myssis and the pack of cubes doesn?t last me longer than a month or so but there?s no way to tell how long it?s been in the LFS for. Although some of these products come with an expiration date, the date may be misleading as it is affected by the temperature that the food is stored at. I?ve been researching how to make my own food blend which is how I stumbled across these articles and recall many other hobbyists who make their own foods and store them for months on end. They?ll just have sheets of the frozen food they make in their freezer so they won?t have to make it more than once or twice a year. Whenever I decide to make my own food, I may just make smaller quantities to last me 2-3 months.
Interesting insight to something we all have to deal with in the hobby. Would like to hear other?s thoughts on it.
