Shock freezing: technology, products

Showcases of modern grocery stores and supermarkets can not be imagined without departments with frozen products. Manufacturers of semi-finished products subject different types of food products to special processing, which allows for a long time to maintain gastronomic qualities. For the manufacturers themselves, the shock frost is advantageous, primarily for economic reasons. And this is just the case when the financial feasibility of applying new technologies for processing products completely coincides with the demands of the consumer.

Description of the technology of shock freezing

The process of freezing involves the implementation of several stages, during which the product is exposed to temperature effects in different modes. The first stage implies cooling in the range of 20 to 0 ° C. It is important to note that the lowering of the temperature of the product is proportional to the volume of work directed to the collection of its heat. The second stage involves the transition from the liquid state to the solid state. In this case, the temperature can drop to -5 ° C. At this stage, shock freezing also provides heat removal, but crystallization of liquid fractions in the product is also carried out. This stage can be called freezing. The final stage provides storage with a temperature of -18 ° C. And again, the lowering of degrees is proportional to the efficiency of the main function that the refrigeration unit performs.

Technology features

In the classical form, the shock freezing is carried out using refrigerating low-temperature machines on average 2.5-3 hours. It is the high speed of the freezing process that is the main distinguishing feature of the technology. The increase in cooling dynamics is due not only to the desire to optimize the process. According to the research, the rate of freezing affects the character of the formation of ice crystals, as well as the quality of the enzymes and the structure of the products. Forcing the stages of cooling, freezing and storage is provided by increasing the rate of heat intake. At the same time, the installation of shock freezing should work with the optimum acceleration of the movement of the coolant. The fact is that a deviation from the optimal values of the intensity of the temperature decrease can lead to unjustified power losses and, most importantly, to deformation of the product. Therefore, in the process of blowing and cooling effects, it is very important to maintain uniformity and balance, while maintaining moderate temperature conditions.

Advantages of shock freezing

Subject to compliance with technological rules and nuances, the manufacturer can count on the high quality of the final product. And this is not to mention the benefits, which involves shock freezing in terms of finance and logistics. In particular, the payback period of the enterprise is reduced by almost 20%, the need to use large areas for the organization of the processing process is excluded, the time for freezing is reduced, etc.

The most obvious advantages of this approach when comparing it with traditional freezing technologies. For example, the usual methods of providing such processes require much more time. So, the average shipment of pelmeni the conveyor of shock freezing serves for 20-25 minutes, and traditional means of similar processing perform the same operations for 2 hours or more. Obviously, the economy affects both the performance indicators and, in general, the profitability of the enterprise.

Products of shock freezing

The range of food products that can be subjected to such freezing is quite wide and varied. Of course, the most popular meat and fish semi-finished products, but this set has expanded significantly in recent years. To date, produced quick-frozen vegetables, fruits, nuts, greens, melons, all sorts of juices and desserts. In a separate category, the market presents products of shock freezing in the form of ready-made soups and second courses. It should be noted that manufacturers are trying to completely exclude the presence in the product of inedible elements, not counting the shell with the packaging. Particular attention is paid to the stages of packaging, dosing and portioning. All this makes the products convenient for the consumer in terms of circulation and further consumption.

Technical support

Several groups of refrigeration equipment are used to implement the process of shock freezing. The most effective are fast-freezing fluidising plants, which are used in working with crushed or small-piece fruits and vegetables. To the peculiarities of such devices is the high speed of freezing with minimum drying. The most popular type of equipment in this niche is a conveyor freezing chamber of shock freezing, with the help of which about 80% of the whole assortment of semi-finished products is processed. A special class of such equipment is represented by spiral devices, thanks to which freezing of portioned dishes and breading semi-finished products is provided.

Manufacturers of equipment for shock freezing

Deficiency in specialized equipment for shock freezing is not present, as the market is represented by a wide spectrum of manufacturers of different levels. The leaders of the segment include Nemox, Liebherr and Polair. In the families of these manufacturers, you can find fast freezers, designed for different volumes and performance. Also in high demand is the installation of Irinox. Shock freeze on the devices of this brand allows you to get a quick result with maximum preservation of the original properties of the product. In addition, Irinox equipment differs from competitive offers by multifunctionality. For example, an additional possibility of performing heating operations.

Installation of equipment

The organization of the production site does not require much space and special requirements for communication support. To install cameras it is sufficient to use heat-insulating panels with a paint and varnish coating. Such a cladding of the equipment fulfills the function of the supporting structure and, at the same time, provides moderate values of thermal insulation. Depending on the modification, the shock-freezing device may provide for the elements of the supporting frame in the basic configuration. For example, there are devices on special frames, which are enough to be located indoors or even outdoors, if the device has an external condenser. If it is planned to equip the conveyor with high capacity, then it makes sense to initially pay attention to fast freezing complexes, in which several cameras are to be combined in order to minimize the cost of the project.

Conclusion

The appearance of shock freezing opened new opportunities for producers, raising the level of development of the food industry to a higher level. In particular, the technology makes it possible to delay the implementation of perishable products in time. In a sense, shock freezing is transport, allowing implementers to distribute products without reference to specific regions and harvesting seasons. For the consumer, this is also profitable, since he has the opportunity to purchase a fresh product of any origin, regardless of the season. Most importantly, the quality remains high. Of course, there is no talk of a complete comparison of the gastronomic characteristics of frozen products with fresh analogues, but modern technologies constantly reduce this distance.