Refreezing meat can be done safely, but the quality of the meat may be affected.
For example, freezing and thawing meat more than one time might cause color and odor changes, moisture loss, and increased oxidation of its fat and protein (3, 4, 5, 6).
Oxidation is a process in which electrons are transferred from one atom to another. When this occurs in meats, it can lead to a significant deterioration in quality.
Any changes to a meat’s ability to retain moisture might also significantly affect the tenderness and juiciness of the meat (6, 7).
Interestingly, in some cases, chilled storage and freezing meat more than once may have positive effects on these factors (8, 9).
However, it appears that the type of meat in question, as well as the exact number of freeze-thaw cycles that the meat undergoes, all influence how the meat will respond to being refrozen multiple times.
Beef
For example, one study observed how various freeze-thaw combinations affected beef steak cuts. Researchers found that a combination of freezing, thawing, and aging the steaks increased tenderness, compared with fresh steaks that had been aged but not frozen (10).
In addition, a literature review of research on the effects of cool and frozen storage on red meat found that freezing meats for a shorter period of time might help prevent some of the negative effects that freezing can have on the quality of red meat (8).
Lamb
A study of Australian-raised lamb ribs compared how freezing and storing the ribs at various temperatures affected quality markers like juiciness, texture, and shrinkage.
The researchers found that lamb stored at deep-freeze temperatures between -58°F (-50°C) and -112°F (-80°C) remained more tender once thawed, compared with lamb stored at normal freezing temperatures -0.4°F (-18°C) (11).
Pork
Pork loin is a commonly eaten cut of meat that comes from the rib cage of a pig.
Two recent studies have examined the effects of freezing and thawing on pork loin specifically.
The first study compared three freezing-thawing sequences on pork loin quality.
Each sequence caused increased discoloration of the meat, but researchers found that aging the pork prior to freezing it could be an effective way to maintain the tenderness of the meat (12).
A second study suggests that freezing and then thawing pork loin does not significantly affect the tenderness of the meat. On the other hand, the juiciness of the meat might decrease after freezing and thawing it (13).
Poultry
A study including 384 supermarket shoppers in Turkey found that the most commonly used thawing techniques for frozen chicken included using the refrigerator, microwave, warm water, tap water, and countertop.
Researchers determined that none of the thawing techniques had a significant effect on the color or texture of the chicken.
However, thawing in the refrigerator or microwave resulted in approximately 18% less shrinkage than the other thawing methods (14).
Yet, additional research has found that the more times a chicken breast is frozen and thawed, the more likely you are to notice changes in its color and juiciness (3).
summary
Freezing meat once or even multiple times could affect the quality of the product by altering the color, smell, tenderness, and juiciness of the meat, as well as the degree of shrinkage during cooking.
