Frozen ready-to eat food products are convenient to use since
they require less time to prepare than raw food. With proper frozen
storage, these products can be kept for up to one year; therefore,
a variety of new frozen foods are continually being launched onto
world markets (Luh, 1999). However, upon freezing, water in the
food is transformed into ice and as the ice separates out, the concentration
of the unfrozen phase in contact with the ice increases. Both
the ice formation and the increasing concentration of the unfrozen
component result in physical stress on the food matrix (Reid, Kerr,
& Hsu, 1994; Reid, 1999). When this frozen food is thawed for
consumption, the moisture readily separates from the matrix and
causes a change in the texture, drip loss, and often deterioration in
the overall quality (Rahman, 1999).