This Brief presents a chemical perspective on frozen vegetables also known as ready-to-use
foods. It elucidates the chemical properties and modifications of vegetables from harvest and
treatment to the end of their long shelf-life. Particular attention is given to the
microbiological colonization of vegetables during the freezing treatments and to the chemical
and physical modifications associated. The authors explore the undesired effects of this
colonization through the lens of the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococci found in
hermetically-package frozen vegetables. With this informative and instructive Brief readers
will understand the importance of the frozen storage technologies.
