Abstract: On-the-bone tenderization of a dressed freshly slaughtered unboned poultry bird is accelerated by rapidly cooling at least the breast meat of said bird by exposure to a cooling temperature of at most −10° C. to provide a frozen crust on the breast and a substantial temperature gradient through the breast meat and reducing the rate at which the breast is cooled to reduce the temperature gradient whilst maintaining the surface temperature of the breast meat below −2° C. for sufficient time to freeze only a portion of the water content of the breast meat and thereby tenderize the meat. The meat of the tenderized bird is preferably warmed towards an equilibration temperature of from 0° C. to 5° C. It is understood that reduction of maturation time occurs because a portion of the water in the meat freezes thereby concentrating the salts and other solutes in the remaining liquid water.

Abstract: In a method of forming a frozen food product, the temperature of a fluid food product is lowered so that the product is plastic. A mould is pressed against the food product to cause at least a portion of the product to take up the shape of the mould. The mould is at a sufficiently low temperature when it is pressed against the product such that the product retains its moulded shape and such that the product is readily releasable from the mould. This allows frozen confectionery products such as ice cream to be successfully moulded.