Protection of Foods with Low-Temperatures, and Characteristics of Psychrotrophic Microorganisms

The use of low temperatures to preserve foods is based on the fact that the activities of microorganisms can be slowed at temperatures above freezing and generally stopped at subfreezing temperatures. The reason is that all metabolic reactions of microorganisms are enzyme catalyzed and that the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions is dependent on temperature. With a rise in temperature, there is an increase in reaction rate.