Do frozen foods have any nutritional value?

Time: 2025-07-15

Once a wildly popular documentary series across China, the first episode of A Bite of China focused on "Gifts from Nature." It clearly shows the Chinese people's unwavering commitment to freshness when it comes to food.

Once a hugely popular documentary series across China, the first episode of A Bite of China focused on "Gifts from Nature." It clearly shows the Chinese people's dedication to freshness when it comes to food.

Therefore, when frozen foods appeared, they were long labeled as "not fresh" and a "substitute for those who don't have time to cook." Many mothers felt they were unhealthy, with rumors spreading about the use of dead pigs, fish, and shrimp. These stories made many wonder, "Can we really trust frozen food?"

Many believe frozen food is less nutritious because freezing for a long time causes nutrient loss. This is a misconception.

Frozen food is more than just freezing food. The term "flash-frozen" highlights its incredibly fast freezing speed!

Compared to the freezing process of a typical refrigerator, flash-freezing rapidly lowers the food temperature to well below the freezing point of water (usually below -18℃).

If you freeze homemade dumplings in a refrigerator, the slow temperature drop causes water in the food to form ice crystals. As the temperature decreases, these ice crystals grow larger, easily damaging the food's cell structure, leading to nutrient loss and a poorer texture.

However, with flash-freezing's rapid cooling, the water in the food enters a "supercooled" state. The ice crystals formed are tiny, small enough not to significantly damage the food cells, largely preserving the food's nutrients and texture.

The freezing process is so fast that the food doesn't have time to react before freezing is complete, resulting in minimal nutrient loss. In some cases, the nutrient retention in frozen fruits and vegetables may even be higher than in freshly transported produce.

Furthermore, the low temperature essentially halts cell activity and significantly restricts microbial growth, allowing frozen food to be stored for a long time. So, frozen food is actually quite nutritious and safe to eat!

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