The scope of the term freezer burn varies widely in both scientific and
lay literature. In the narrowest use of the term, freezer burn
describes only the loss of moisture (also termed as dehydration or
desiccation) from the surface of frozen foods over time during frozen
storage, yielding an opaque dehydrated surface.
In the broadest use of the term, freezer burn describes both the
dehydration and associated degradation in color, texture, and flavor
that can occur on the surface of frozen foods, over time during frozen
storage.
These undesirable quality changes are exemplified by the toughening and
discoloration of the surface of meat and poultry products, such as
color changes in beef from red to brown and in skinless chicken breasts from pink to tan; the shriveling of the surface of frozen foods, shown in for frozen green beans; and the occurrence of lipid oxidation, which negatively impacts food flavor.
Freezer-burned food is safe to consume from a microbial perspective,
but is of poor eating quality. If the freezer-burned area is not too
extensive, you can simply cut the affected portions off before or
after cooking. [MORE]
