Up with Fever- ACYC Fever

My LEAD Testimony

Hello All
This is Manju Stephen, lives in Abu Dhabi.
LEAD for me was a simple choice, gradually I realized with every module, that  for God it was a great plan.  A plan to give me the insight of worthiness to reach out as a servant leader to the world to whom I am accountable for. A plan to instill in me the lost faith, hope and love which was lost sometime in the tougher rides of life. LEAD modules systematically nourished the need of my soul, and left me with a hunger for more.....

LEAD 2

All thanks, praise and love to my Jesus, for choosing me wonderfully; speaking to me personally and through the myriad ways of LEAD Family.
You make a choice.....You become a Leader
http://leadjyfp.wordpress.com/testimonials/

It's a Friday

When on a week day I yearn for it, and when I  live in it I want to escape out of it- that is weekend for me (PS: Not Always :D). Thought as I trifle with keys of laptop let the lines formed be the reflection of a Friday- Thoughts of mine. There is nothing classy I can do today than printing my boredom.
Friday is my realization day that the energy I could spend for others has huge fortitude than what I plan to do for self. The day I make greater resolutions and higher objectives for self- discipline and caring.
Laid-back and anxiously tracing the progress of life of my facebook friends.The day of clearing the week- long accumulations at home. The day I wish let the navigators show wrong direction to all the visitors to my home, as I enjoy my laziness and sweat from house hold chores. The day I don't comb my hair, the day I fold my blanket 'n' number of times, the day I watch movies with out seeing it.
The day I stare at the calendar and  crash land in to the destination of 30th and 31st, to satisfy the hunger of my accounts  hardly seeing the graying of my hairs and the pigmentation on my skin.
I do greater things as well, as I give advice  : "Every culinary creation needs a magical touch of love for it to appease the craving of an eater. Otherwise its worthless, even its a mug of coffee". This goes to Mom to let her know the improvement she needs to put in for a better taste. A day of occasional despair,with an ON and OFF button which plays the music of random emotions. A day of fight with my mood swings, and a day of late lights off to wake up in to the warmth of a beautiful week with a new set of Goals, and I say " God, 6 more days for the weekend, wish the Friday comes faaaast"
 So today I thank God, that Its a Friday!!

Collage of Women Cries

A women to be born again in boldness still needs to satisfy number of factors :
Where am I born, what is my ethnicity?
In to the lap of  civilization immunized with the absolute freedom of expression or under the cover-all of taboos and threats.
Can I earn a living? 
If not, its not I speak-I blabber. If I don't earn pennies nor power, I may not either earn the freedom of speech.
Do I have a men force who cares and supports me in every decision I take, like any other individual.
.....and probably many more, which my thoughts at this time has no much relevance to.

Recent incidents which shook my heart is what I express here with no intention to judge nor claim justice and righteousness. The society here is ever willing to accept and get easily pleased with a philanthropist, but if a mercy or a loud outcry for a women victim by a women will always tag me as a feminist, which is not always an acceptable label even in this "womens" era.

Two incidents in the recent past which I read from the newspapers made a viral significance in the social media- both to the national and international readers. I won't blame a mobile cam user's instant eagerness and  action to record or click a brutality or a mishap, 'with all its ethics and respect', inorder to spread the news across billions who are ignorant of the 'world', which includes me. A picture speaks 1000 words, when I look at one of those pictures I can feel the throbbing of that Afghan women awaiting her death from behind. Was she able to notice- that gentle breeze, that deep blue sky, that pleasant morning, the beauty of those green bushy trees infront of her? No... She would have seen only darkness, the darkness which is deeper than darkness.
I don't know your name dear girl, I don't know what your world accused you for- who am I to judge you? But I see you today along with this world.
I see you this little Guwahati girl, molested in public by public taking turn by turn, scavenging her emotions, her tender dreams, her confidence, her self-being. What have you got my crowd? What was your aim? What can you claim? None of us remember her face, but can she  forget that it was She?

Gulf news recently had an appalling statistics from an international resource. To learn a figure, which has much to do with where I come from, was much interesting-Dowry Related murders -22 women are killed  each day.
Where has it gone dear souls- your blood-sheds, sparks and activism against dowry, female foeticide, girl trafficking, slavery, rape, physical and verbal abuse- still makes us to read this news paper clips.

I was disturbed, and it took a few hours of sleep from me. Unknowingly, I shed tears not due to sympathy, but out of fear. I know I am living in the world where our girls still see nightmares of violence, unknown fearsome faces, long grabbing hands, thirst for breath and finally wakes up with teary eyes and heavily pulsating heart, and her days are tired of the previous night's never-ending escape runs.
Sometimes it is more tiring to re-write the script and re-see the dream with a safe ending. And now I too have a happy ending here, from the same newspaper. When I saw you, Tahmina Kohistani, in the pages of London Olympics 2012, marching with determination in your eyes and a gracious smile midst of insults and catcalls, I see you, and I felt the dignity in you.

Afghan Athlete Tahmina Kohistani

Unheard cries of Souls

 Luke 16:19-31 The Rich Man and Lazarus

24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

I always had  an anxiety, and probably many of you, on our life after death. In christian beliefs, still the much heard heaven, hell and purgatory was never convincing nor palatable, until I read from a book by Maria Simma, ‘The Souls in Purgatory’. Maria  Simma’s many time confrontation and her conversation with the souls, and the realization of the facts from the souls smoothened much of my bitter pain and concerns of my question on life after death

Perhaps we need to define what is the soul first. The soul is the primary principle of life. In every individual soul is created directly by God and is infused into the embryo at the moment of conception. 

Souls in Purgatory, or the Holy Souls, are the souls of those who have died in the state of grace but who are not yet free from all punishment due to their unforgiven venial sins and all other sins already forgiven (for which satisfaction is still to be made). They are certain to enter Heaven but must first suffer proportionately in Purgatory. It is the teaching of the Church that these souls are aided by our prayers and good works, and especially by the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Though they cannot help themselves, it is commonly believed that they can assist us, and the Church commends our prayers for their intercession. The length of time souls are detained in Purgatory depends on:

a) the number of their faults;
b) on the malice and deliberation with which these have been committed;
c) on the penance done, or not done, the satisfaction made, or not made for sins during life;
d) much, too, depend on the suffrages offered for them after death by friends and relatives still alive. 

What can be safely said is that the time souls spend in Purgatory, as a rule, is very much longer than people commonly imagine.

Excerpts from the interview with Maria Simma is here with the link for the full interview article.

What do these souls ask of you?

“In most cases, they ask to have Masses celebrated; they ask to have the rosary said and also that one make the Stations of the Cross:".

Maria, do the souls in Purgatory have, nevertheless, joy and hope amidst their suffering?

Yes. No soul would want to come back from Purgatory to the earth. They have knowledge which is infinitely beyond ours. They just could not decide to return to the darkness of the earth. There is nothing on earth which could make them want to live here again, where one is never sure of anything

Maria, can you tell us now If it is God who sends a soul into Purgatory, or If the soul itself decides to go there?

 It is the soul itself which wants to go to Purgatory, in order to be pure before going to Heaven

Maria, can you tell us what the role of Our Lady is with the souls in Purgatory?

She comes often to console them and to tell them they have done many good things. She encourages them.  She visits often on Christmas Day, All Saints Day, Good Friday, the Feast of the Assumption, and the Ascension of Jesus.

Maria, why does one go to Purgatory? What are the sins which most lead to Purgatory?

Sins against charity, against the love of one’s neighbor; hardness of heart, hostility, slandering, calumny – all these things

Once I asked a poor soul if she could go to look for a soul I had been asked to find out about. She replied: “No, it is the Mother of  Mercy who tells us about it.” Also, the souls in Heaven do not come to Purgatory. On the other hand, the angels are there: Saint Michael...and each soul has its guardian angel with it.

Maria, does the devil have permission to attack us at the moment of death?

Yes, but man also has the grace to resist him, to push him away. So, if man does not want anything to do with him, the devil can do nothing. Pray hard! Prepare him for death; one must speak the truth.

Maria, I would like to ask you: at the moment of death, is there a time in which the soul still has the chance to turn towards God, even after a sinful life, before entering into eternity - a time, if you like, between apparent death and real death?

Yes, yes, the Lord gives several minutes to each one, in order to regret his sins and to decide: I accept or I do not accept to go see God.

Maria, do the souls in Purgatory rebel when faced with their suffering?

 No! They want to purify themselves; they understand that it is necessary

Maria, are there any children in Purgatory?

Yes, but Purgatory for them is not very long or painful, since they lack much discernmenthttp://www.scribd.com/doc/4853780/Amazing-Secret-of-the-Souls-in-Purgatory

Have people from other religions-for example, Jews - come to visit you?

Yes, they are happy. Anyone who lives his faith well is happy. But it is through the Catholic faith that we gain the most for Heaven

What happens to people who have committed suicide? Have you ever been visited by these people?

Up to now, I have never encountered the case of a suicide who was lost - this doesn’t mean, ofcourse, that that doesn’t exist -but often, the souls tell me that the most guilty were those around them, when they were negligent or spread calumny.

What advice would you give, then, to all those people afflicted by homosexuality, with this tendency in them?

Pray a lot for the strength to turn away from it. They should above all pray to the Archangel Michael; he is the great fighter par excellence against the Evil One.

 One day, I was on a train and in my compartment there was a man who didn ‘t stop speaking evil of the Church,of priests, even of God. I said to him: “Listen, you don’t have the right to say all that, it’s not good.” He was furious at me. Afterwards, I arrived at my station; I got down from the train, and said to God: “Lord, do not let this soul be lost.”Years later; the soul of this man came to visit me; he told me that he had come very close to Hell, but he was saved simply by this prayer I had said at that moment!

Yes, it’s extraordinary to see that just one thought, one impulse of the heart, a simple prayer for someone can prevent them from falling into Hell. It is pride which leads to Hell. Hell is to stubbornly say “NO” against God. Our prayers can elicite an act of humility in the dying, a single instant of humility, however small, which can help them to avoid Hell

When the devil appears, does holy water always make him leave?

 It disturbs him very much and he flees at once

Really! What do you think of the practices of spiritism, for example, calling up the spirits of the departed, Ouija- boards, etc.?

 It is not good. It is always evil. It is the devil who makes the table move

Don’t Forget About Indulgences!

Mother Church has some wonderful treasures in store for us - let’s take a closer look at some of them!

“Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sins for themselves and also for the souls of Purgatory”

Plenary indulgence can be obtained on the following occasions:

·         adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half-hour;

·         recitation of the entire rosary in church, as a family or in community

·         making the Stations of the Cross;

·         reading Holy Scripture for at least one half-hour;

·         a church visit between noon of November 1 and mid-night of November 2, for the intention of the deceased;

·         visiting a cemetery, for the intention of the deceased;

·         taking part in a First Holy Communion ceremony, or the first Mass of a priest, or the anniversary of 25, 50, or60 years of priesthood;

·         renewing one’s baptismal promises during the Easter Vigil;

·         adoration of the Cross during the Good Friday liturgy;

·         papal benediction, even when received listening to the radio or watching on television.

Yes, Divine Heart of Jesus

Grant me the grace always to live according to your will, as much in the finest, most joyful, most important moments of my life as in the difficult moments. Grant me always to be ready for my last hour; give me the courage to give everything for your love, even my life, if necessary. Jesus, through your most Holy and painful Passion, may your coming at the hour of my death find me awake, like a good servant, with true repentance, a good confession, fortified by the last sacraments. Lord, do not abandon me in my last struggle on this earth, when I will have to battle against Satan, perhaps raging in fury. May your Holy Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and Saint Michael and all the angels, help and protect me against all temptation at the hour I leave this world. May they strengthen and console me in my pain. Grant me, Lord, at that hour, a living faith, a firm trust, an ardent love and a great patience. Help me to commit myself fully, in all clarity of mind, into your hands and to abandon myself like a little child to your holy peace. In your infinite goodness and your great mercy, O Jesus, remember me! Amen.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4853780/Amazing-Secret-of-the-Souls-in-Purgatory

Carmel

Where all I searched? What all I referred? Still I was not satisfied with the answers which I found on my etymology.

Carmel- who I am, who my grand mom is, our origin. For me with my limited edition stocks I could find the maximum was about a few churches, congregations, colleges and some convents. Rewinding it further gave no results, which made me to search for a spark and thanks Royston, my friend, for being my inspiration.

 I always wanted the minimal self awareness of what my name is, to speak about it, and who knows, to give lecture about it. 

Etymology:

Carmel as a girl's name is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Carmel is "garden, orchard. Biblical place name: Mount Carmel is in Israel near the city of Haifa, and is often referred to as a type of paradise.

In the 12th century, a monastery was founded in there, from which the Carmelite monastic order came about. The monastery was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Carmel became one of the names taken from Marian titles. The name is used mainly by Roman Catholics. 

However, this summarizes Carmel just for the sake of a nomenclature. I need more…

As I referred its presence in the Holy Bible and in the wikipedia, I can't explain how incredible the amount of dignity my soul and self was embedded with.

 

Geography

Mount Carmel stood in the fertile and strategic Jezreel Valley. For God's people, it became a symbol of God's blessing on their land.

The Mt. Map

Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel, which literally means "God's vineyard," is a mountain range running about thirteen miles southeast-northwest in the western Jezreel Valley. This part of Israel receives thirty inches of rain each year and is the most heavily forested area in the country. 

Near Mount Carmel, the major international trade route of ancient days"the Via Maris" passed by. Because of its fertility, the surrounding land was also the breadbasket of Israel. Mount Carmel stood as a high point in this strategic area.

Looking at the fertile Jezreel plain and Mount Carmel's ancient olive trees today, we understand why this place symbolized fertility and blessing to God's people.

It was pictured in the Bible as a beautiful and fruitful area. But the area also symbolized God's judgment on the land.

Biblical Content:

The area is known for its cover of flower blossoms, flowering shrubs, and fragrant herbs.  On the mountain’s slopes there are plentiful pastures (Isaiah 33:9, Jeremiah 50:19, Amos 1:2) Caves on the mountains often provided shelter for monks through the ages, in which Elijah and Elisha took refuge (1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 2:25). 

It is not the geography interests it here, but rather the prophetic significance of Carmel.

On Mount Carmel, Prophet Elijah confronted the Baal prophets and challenged the Israelites to stop wavering between faith in God and Baal. When Elijah met with the pagan prophets and people of Israel, they gathered on a desolate Mount Carmel, made barren by years of drought.

At the beginning of their meeting, Elijah challenged the Israelites, saying, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21). Elijah knew the Israelites had not completely abandoned God, but they were not giving him their total allegiance.

Elijah's challenge echoed the words Joshua had used years earlier to call the Israelites to complete loyalty. "If the serving of the Lord seems undesirable to you," Joshua had said, "then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (24:15a). In Joshua's day the people had enthusiastically responded, claiming faith in God alone.

But Elijah's challenge was met with silence: God's people were confused. Elijah asked God to demonstrate his power over Baal so that the people would know he alone was God. He prepared an offering, and challenged Baal's followers to see whose God produced fire to burn it.

Victory of prophet Elijah over the Baal prophets. lived in 9th C BC

Victory of prophet Elijah over the Baal prophets. lived in 9th C BC

After hours of frantic efforts, Baal still had not responded to the cries of his followers. So Elijah stepped to the altar, doused the sacrifice with water, and prayed to God. In response, God sent down such consuming fire that the sacrifice, altar, and water were completely burned up.

The people's silence was broken. They chanted "Elijah! Elijah!" meaning, 'Yahweh is God!' The Baal prophets were put to death and Elijah prayed again, asking God for rain. Empowered with the Spirit, he ran to Jezreel—nearly nineteen miles away—even faster than King Ahab's chariots! The drought ended as the one true God sent rain to the land.

Much beyond the Etymology:

Carmel is first used in the Bible in Joshua 12:22, which reads:

 "the king of Jokneam in Carmel." This is only one listing of all the kings which Joshua and the sons of Israel defeated.

Again, Carmel has another mentioning in the Bible:

Song of Solomon 7:1-5. This is the bridegroom, speaking of His fair bride.

"How beautiful are your feet in sandals,

O prince's daughter!

The curves of your hips are like jewels,

The work of the hands of an artist.

Your navel is like a round goblet

Which never lacks mixed wine;

Your belly is like a heap of wheat

Fenced about with lilies.

Your two breasts are like two fawns,

Twins of a gazelle.

Your neck is like a tower of ivory,

Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon

By the gate of Bath-rabbim;

Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon,

Which faces toward Damascus.

Your head crowns you like Carmel,

And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads;

The king is captivated by your tresses."

AD 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th centuries. They built a chapel in the midst of their hermitages which they dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whom they conceived of in chivalric terms as the "Lady of the place."

The image and truth here is not gained by looking at the beauty of the bride as a disjointed collage of concrete pictures, but in the meaning of each representation being drawn from. This is our quest with this city, this mountain, called Carmel. Like so many other cases, we will find that Carmel has a specific and highly important prophetic representation.

The Feast: 

The feast day is celebrated on July16 recalls the foundation of the Carmelite religious order in the 12th century.  The founder, Berthold, may have been a pilgrim to the area (perhaps to cave of Elijah), or a crusader.  Tradition says that he came from southern France but when venturing in the Holy Land came to encounter fierce soldiers.  After a vision of Christ, he went to Mt. Carmel and built a small chapel there, soon joined by hermits who all lived there in community in imitation of Elijah. After his death, it seems that St. Brocard became leader of the hermits eventually leading to the establishment of the Order of Carmelites in the 12th century.

In Carmelite tradition, Mt. Carmel had been a place devoted to monastic-style prayer since the time of Elijah. They built a  monastery and it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as she was “Star of the Sea” – a medieval title describing the mother of Christ as the cloud of life that dwells over the sea promising rain and fertility (1 Kings 18:41-45).

St. Simon Stock Receiving the Scapular 

 Continuing the story, with the scapular of Mt. Carmel.  According to Carmelite tradition, this scapular – a small piece of rough wool cloth – was given in a vision by Virgin Mary to the monastic Simon Stock, living in England on July 16, 1251, when he prayed to Mary that his order could be saved from its oppression. 
She appeared with the scapular in hand, and told him:  "Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant."  Promises associated with the scapular are: Mary’s protection of the Carmelite order and all those who wear the scapular (including laymen of its Third Order); special help at one’s hour of death for all who wear the habit (or scapular) in Mary’s name; and the so-called “Sabbatine Privelege” which Pope John XXII declared in 1322 meant early release from Purgatory for those who died in Mary’s care.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“O, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,

fruitful vine, splendor of heaven,

blessed mother of the Son of God, immaculate virgin,

assist me in my necessity.

O, star of the sea,

help me and show me herein,

you are my mother.

Mary conceived without sin,

pray for us who turn to you.”

Well none's name generally can start with Mount (by the way don't get confused, Mountbatten is a family name), and hence I assume, the God Parents started naming the generations with Carmel. As the name traveled from BC to AD, from a region to its natives, from nature to a super-natural bliss, Carmel was adopted as the name for girls who are true vineyard of God’s Kingdom on earth. Well I hope I managed to know what I am before my Patron's Feast.

Work of Your Hands

Well, am back to interpret emotions in a very personal way :) but then the question would arise what my last post has to do with emotions, and I just emotionalized  it for the sake of doing it. To be honest, that was my research for a work which I had to share with my colleague. However dint want to loose the data. These days, the greatest method of preservation is web loading. So I preserved the refrigeration.

Back to the core of heart feelings, I have something very beautiful to share.

My inspirations are made in to a collage, who are been blessed with the rewards of "fruit of womb".

All they have to share is the good news. “I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 92:4

I happened to subscribe to the newsletters of a pregnancy site. Now don't ask me why :) What woke my curiosity up from that site is the most minute and inner most happenings of creation. I watched its videos with a 4D theater experience- I did not even have to conceive to feel the movement of a life within me.

We tend to define many terms to claim that we are the planner of our offspring's birth

Contraceptives

Family Planning 

Safe Period

We stick to the above, knowing that none above can justify why there a lack of 0.01% to make it 100% while no method of contraception claims 100% effectiveness. 

To make it short, watch out this video - this made me redefine the word CONCEPTION, from being it as a process (fusion of gametes) to as a MASTER PLAN of CREATION which has accuracy, precision and perfection in its own immaculacy.

 http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-fertilization_10354435.bc

Scientific Emotions of Freezing

Introduction

Food preservation is defined as the process of addressing and dealing with food in a way that maintains its taste and preserves its nutritive value as long as possible via stopping or slowing spoilage with the aim of preventing food borne illnesses. The process of food preservation include inhibiting the growth of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms besides slowing down the process of oxidation of fats, which causes food rancidity. The most common food preservation methods include drying, freezing, vacuum packing, canning, preservation in syrup, sugar crystallization, salting, irradiation, addition of preservatives and inert gases.

Food Spoilage

There are plenty of factors that cause food deterioration and spoilage. Chief among these are 

Microorganisms, which consist of bacteria, yeasts and fungi (molds.)

Enzymes, which occur naturally in plants, will cause foods to deteriorate in time resulting in the loss of nutritional value, flavor and palatability.

Exposure to light will cause the destruction of some vitamins, and the rate of all chemical and biological reactions, including the actions of enzymes and the growth of microbes, will increase as the temperature increases.

So all preserved foods will keep better and longer when protected from light and stored at cooler temperatures.

For any type of food preservation method, the retention of nutritional components is a concern, but Freezing is probably the least destructive when properly done.

Freezing

Freeing is method of food preservation whereby:

• The heat is removed
• Temperature of the food is reduced below its freezing point
• And a portion of water in food undergoes a change in state to form ice crystals (aw lowered)

In freezing preservation is achieved by:

• Low temperature
• Reduced water activity due to ice formation and high concentration of solutes in unfrozen water
• Blanching of some foods

Chemical Effects of Freezing

Concentration of chemicals in liquid phase

Increased acidity

Low pH- Protein denaturation

Effect more pronounced during storage and slow freezing

Types of changes:

• Flavour and odor deterioration
• Pigment degradation
• Enzymatic brownng
• Auto oxidation of ascorbic acid
• Protein insolubilization
• Lipid oxidation

The above changes are dependant on initial substrate concentration, pH,Aw,O, handling and processing, and time and temperature.

Prevetion of Chemical Changes can be done by:

Inactivation of enzymes

Low temperature storage

Alternation of pH

Exclusion of oxygen

Freezing slows down, but does not destroy, enzymes in fruits and vegetables. That is why it is important to stop enzyme activity before freezing. The two methods you can use are blanching and adding chemical compounds such as ascorbic acid.

(Enzymes are proteins present in plants and animals. While the plant or animal lives, enzymes help speed up the ripening and maturing processes. Even after we harvest plants or slaughter animals, enzyme reactions can continue and result in undesirable color, flavor and texture changes in the food).

Enzyme activity does not harm frozen meats or fish and is neutralized by the acids in frozen fruits

(Plant products contain enzymes which give off ethylene gas, so exposure to anaerobic conditions (e.g. freezer storage) can lead to off colours and flavours. That's why pre-frozen fruits and vegetables have generally been blanched to kill the enzymes)

Fats in meat, fish and poultry become rancid during freezer storage. This is caused by contact with air left in the package or air that enters the package because proper storage materials were not used. Control rancidity by trimming excess fat from meat before freezing, using a wrapping material that prevents air from reaching the product, and by storing foods for the recommended length of time.

Slow Freezing & Rapid Freezing

Slow freezing causes a larger loss of drip on thawing, a larger loss of nitrogenous constituents and nucleic acid derivatives to the drip, and a larger loss of water-holding capacity of meat, than fast freezing.

In addition, slow freezing, as compared to fast freezing, increases protein breakdown. Rapid freezing preserves the integrity of muscle proteins to a greater extent than slow freezing.

Rapid freezing prevents undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product because the molecules don't have time to form into the characteristic six-sided snowflake. Slow freezing creates large, disruptive ice crystals. During thawing, they damage the cells and dissolve emulsions. This causes meat to "drip" and lose juiciness. Ideally, food 2-inches thick should freeze completely in about 2 hours

Slow Freezing

• Rates of cooling is less than 1 degree C/ minute
• Ice crystal form in extracellular locations
• Large ice crystal formation
• Maximum dislocation of water
• Shrinkage
• Less than maximum attainable food quality

Rapid Freezing

• Produces both extracellular and intracellular (mostly) locations of ice crystals
• Small ice crystals
• Numerous ice crystals
• Minimum dislocation of ice crystals
• Frozen appearance similar to the unfrozen state
• Food qulity usually superior to that attained by slow freezing.

The location of ice crystal in tissue is dependant on:

• Freezing rate

Slow

Rapid

• Specimen temperature
• Nature of the cell

Biological Effects of Freezing:

• Growth of mos is temperature dependant
• No pathogens can grow around 5 degree C
• No mos growth <-5degree C

Freezing cannot kill pathogens if food is already contaminated. However, some mos are killed, some are injured and some are stable.

Controlling initial microbial load inaddition to rapid freezing, and storage at -18 degree C (constant) will reduce the detrimental effects of microorganisms.Frozen food should be thawed rapidly (low temperature) and to be used immedialtely or store at 5 degree C or cook for safety.

Quality Concerns in frozen foods includes:

• Freezer Burn
• Recrystallization
• Drip loss
• Loss of functionality
• Chemical reactions
• Color changes.

The bright red color of meat as purchased usually turns dark or pale brown depending on its variety. This may be due to lack of oxygen, freezer burn or abnormally long storage.

Freezing doesn't usually cause color changes in poultry. However, the bones and the meat near them can become dark. Bone darkening results when pigment seeps through the porous bones of young poultry into the surrounding tissues when the poultry meat is frozen and thawed.

The dulling of color in frozen vegetables and cooked foods is usually the result of excessive drying due to improper packaging or over-lengthy storage.

Best Practices

All foods have a limited shelf-life, no matter how they are stored or preserved. It is imperative that you have a plan for rotating your food stash to keep it fresh.

Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn.  Freeze unopened vacuum packages as is. If a package has accidentally been torn or has opened while food is in the freezer, the food is still safe to use; merely overwrap or rewrap it. Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air coming in contact with the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded for quality reasons.

Never stack packages to be frozen. Instead, spread them out in one layer on various shelves, stacking them only after frozen solid.

For best results, freeze foods at -18 degrees Celsius or lower as soon as they are packaged and sealed. Set the temperature control at -10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower about 24 hours in advance to help food freeze rapidly. Do not overload your freezer with unfrozen food. Add only the amount that will freeze within 24 hours.

Place packages in contact with refrigerated surfaces in the coldest part of the freezer. Leave a little space between packages so that air can circulate freely. When the food is frozen, packages can be restacked close together.