Why Not Frozen Food?
What is the major advantage of refrigerated pasteurized food vs. frozen food? Mainly, it is convenience. Frozen food will have a shelf life of 6 months or more. However, frozen food must be thawed. The thawing process requires time and energy. Expensive, energy-intensive equipment is also required to freeze and hold the food products frozen. Normally, foodservice operations do not need the long shelf life of frozen food. Chilled foods, some of which can have a shelf life of 60 days, are much more efficient to handle. Pasteurization Pasteurization is achieved by heating food to a temperature for a time that is sufficient to reduce the vegetative pathogenic microorganism contamination in food to a safe level. Pasteurization of milk was established many years ago to ensure its safety. Pasteurized milk in the U.S. is heated to 145F for 30 minutes or to 161F and held at this temperature for 15 seconds. This standard for pasteurizing milk is well established and has never failed to make milk
