ABSTRACTChemical and sensory changes were determined in cooked diced chicken, and raw and cooked sliced pork that were freeze dried to residual moisture levels of less than 2% and stored in sealed tin cans under nitrogen at –40, 28, 38 and 48°C for 1,3 and 6 months. Orsat analysis of headspace gas confirmed the absence of oxygen and no carbon dioxide developed during storage. Level of glucose in general decreased with increasing temperature and time of storage. Lactic acid content was 50 to 100‐fold that of glucose on a molal basis and exhibited no detectable change over 6 months at temperatures up to 48°C. No appreciable change in the level of e‐amino nitrogen was apparent. Reducing substances, expressed as ascorbic acid, increased with temperature and time of storage. There were no marked changes in percent rehydration due to storage temperature and time for cooked diced chicken, and raw and cooked sliced pork. Sensory evaluation, by triangle tests, of the differences between control samples at ‐40°C and samples at 28, 38 and 48°C detected deterioration in cooked chicken at 48°C for 1 month and thereafter; and at 38°C for 3 months and thereafter. For raw pork, significant deterioration was detected at 38 and 48°C at 3 months and thereafter. For cooked pork significant deterioration was detected at all storage times and temperatures, compared