GIFSQ Tools · Module 08 — Meat, Poultry, Fish & Seafood · Tool 145 of 500
Measure thawing loss: weigh frozen meat before thawing and after thawing and draining to get the loss as a percentage, the drip lost and the thawed yield.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Thawing loss (%)
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Drip lost (g)
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Thawed yield (%)
Equation: Thawing loss (%) = (frozen weight − thawed weight) ÷ frozen weight × 100. Drip lost (g) = frozen weight − thawed weight. Thawed yield (%) = thawed weight ÷ frozen weight × 100 = 100 − thawing loss (%).
Method: Thawing (thaw drip) loss by weighing frozen meat before thawing and after thawing and draining, following Honikel (1998) and standard frozen-meat practice: thaw under refrigeration, drain the drip, and weigh promptly so evaporation is not counted as drip.
Assumptions: the frozen weight includes no packaging or glaze; the thawed weight is taken after the drip has drained and before any surface drying; thawing was under refrigeration.
Limitations: thawing loss depends on freezing rate, storage time and temperature, and thawing method, so values are only comparable under the same conditions; slow freezing and long frozen storage raise the loss.
Rounding: thawing loss and thawed yield to 2 decimal places; drip lost to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Thawing (thaw drip) loss by weighing frozen meat before thawing and after thawing and draining, following Honikel (1998) and standard frozen-meat practice: thaw under refrigeration, drain the drip, and weigh promptly so evaporation is not counted as drip.
Assumptions: the frozen weight includes no packaging or glaze; the thawed weight is taken after the drip has drained and before any surface drying; thawing was under refrigeration.
Limitations: thawing loss depends on freezing rate, storage time and temperature, and thawing method, so values are only comparable under the same conditions; slow freezing and long frozen storage raise the loss.
Rounding: thawing loss and thawed yield to 2 decimal places; drip lost to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: A 1000 g frozen pack weighs 940 g after thawing and draining. Drip lost = 1000 − 940 = 60 g; thawing loss = 60 ÷ 1000 × 100 = 6.00 %; thawed yield = 94.00 %.
Enter values above to see results.
Thawing loss of 3–8% is common for frozen meat; over 10% usually points to slow freezing or long, warm frozen storage. Tool 145 of 500 — GIFSQ
