Temperature, pH and Bacterial Populations of Meat as Influenced by Home Freezer Failure

Consumers are concerned about the fate of frozen meat products in home freezers when electrical power is interrupted. We investigated this concern by using an upright home freezer. Fourteen trials were conducted with packages of either beef or pork with varying trial load weights (Range = 43–128 kg). Meat samples were frozen, power was disconnected, and packages within each lot were analyzed daily for 9 days for temperature, microbial count, and pH. After about 36 hr without electrical power, bacterial populations reached log 6 and the meat product's wholesomeness for consumption or possible refreeze became questionable.