Jan. 2, 1908.] Affvicultural Gazette of N.S.TF. 59 



Nutritive and Digestive Properties of Frozen 



and Chilled Meat. 



The keeping qualities of frozen beef and mutton are sometimes brought 

 into question by the housewife, and some prejudiced persons will not admit 

 that frozen meat of any description is equal to fresh meat. Whatsoever 

 the experience may be of the practical housewife when cooking frozen meat, 

 the report by Dr. Rideal (which has recently been issued in pamphlet form, 

 for and on account of Messrs. Weddel & Co., of London) gives expert 

 evidence as to how frozen and fresh meat compare during the process of 

 cooking, which apparently goes to show that at any rate frozen meat as a 

 food is not inferior to fresh meat. 



The following is the report by Samuel Rideal, D.Sc, Lond., F.I.C., Chemical 

 Laboratory, 28, Victoria-street, Westminster, dated 14th February, 1907, 

 on the nutritive value of frozen and chilled Argentine beef and Australian 

 lamb and mutton: — 



Some years ago I had an opportunity of ascertaining whether the hard 

 freezing to which a number of samples of Queensland meat had been subjected 

 influenced their digestibility and value as food, and from the results of that 

 inquiry I was satisfied that, both with regard to digestibility and for the 

 preparation of soups or beef tea, the hard-frozen meat from Queensland 

 was of intrinsically the same value as that which had been chilled for a short 

 period, or freshly killed. Since that date Argentina has fostered a trade with 

 this country in beef which is shipped, either chilled for a much longer period 

 (about four weeks), or hard frozen, so that at the present time, in the London 

 market, there are on sale large quantities of frozen and chilled beef from 

 the Argentine Republic. 



It is, therefore, of interest to consider whether either of the two methods 

 of preserving beef from the same source modify their dietetic value in any 

 way. 



Foi the experiments, three shins and three portions of steak were employed. 

 The two samples of frozen beef were taken direct from the London and India 

 Dock Co's. Victoria Dock Cold Stores, roughly weighed, and despatched to 

 my laboratory in Westminster. 



For furthei reference, these different samples were lettered as follows, and 

 are designated throughout this report: — 



A. — One shin of Argentine chilled beef marked " La Plata Cold Storage Co.," 

 weighing 9J tb. 



This sample arrived in Liverpool on the 29th December in the " High- 

 land Laird," after a voyage of thirty-one days duration, at a temperature 

 of about 29^° Fahr. The meat was railed direct from ship to Smith- 

 field. This beef was from a bullock about 3 to 4 years old, and was of 

 good average quality. 

 B. — One Argentine frozen shin marked " La Plata Cold Storage Co.," weighing 

 about 8| lb. 



