SUMMARY—Thirteen pairs of pork loin chops from each of four carcasses were assigned randomly to 13 treatments to study effects of freezing by liquid nitrogen vapor and by three home methods, and effects of 1 and 4 wk of storage in three types of home freezers. Regardless of freezing method, cooking losses (total, volatile and drippingl were higher (P<0.01) and water‐holding capacity of the LD muscle lower (P<0.05) for frozen than for fresh chops. Acid number, flavor scores and over‐all acceptability scores were higher (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01) for fresh than for frozen chops. Both immediately after freezing and after 1 and 4 wk of storage, liquid nitrogen freezing produced chops superior in appearance to home‐frozen chops. Total and dripping cooking losses were greater (P<0.05 and 0.01), and total moisture of the LD lower (p<0.05) for liquid nitrogen‐frozen than for home‐frozen chops. Free fatty acid was higher (P<0.05) in liquid nitrogen‐frozen than in home‐frozen chops. Tenderness and over‐all acceptability scores were higher (P<0.05) for chops stored in a one‐door refrigerator‐freezer than for those stored in a two‐door refrigerator‐freezer or an upright household freezer. Regardless of freezing method or storage conditions, volatile cooking losses and free fatty acids increased (P<0.05), and over‐all acceptability and tenderness scores decreased (P<0.01) between 1 and 4 wk of storage. The interaction between storage conditions and storage time resulted in greater (P<0.051 increase in free fatty acids between 1 and 4 wk for chops stored in a one‐door refrigerator‐freezer than for those stored in the two other types of home freezers. Flavor and over‐all acceptability scores decreased (P<0.05) between 1 and 4 wk for chops stored in either refrigerator‐freezer combination, but did not decrease during 4 wk of storage for cho
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