• Assertion (A) is True: Freezer burn (surface desiccation, spongy dry texture, and irreversible lipid oxidation) is especially problematic in frozen food items possessing a high surface area-to-volume ratio (cut fruits, vegetables, IQF berries).
• Reason (R) is True and Explains (A): In cold storage rooms with inadequate relative humidity or fluctuating temperatures, the saturation vapor pressure of ice on the product surface exceeds the ambient vapor pressure of the storage room. Moisture directly sublimates from surface ice crystals into the surrounding atmosphere, leaving behind desiccated, open cavities that accelerate oxidation.
• Conclusion: Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A) (Option 1).

Correct option: (1) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)