Cryogenic freezing
Cryogenic freezing is the fastest IQF freezing method on the market. In cryofreezing, the items are sprayed or immersed directly in liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide and frozen almost instantly. The method prevents the formation of macro crystals – which is preferable, as large ice crystals rupture the food’s cell membranes and cause fluid loss. The lack of macro crystals results in the highest product quality of frozen and chilled food that sustains its natural nutritional value, taste, and shape.
Cryogenic freezing is relevant for industries where food safety and food quality is of the essence, and it is widely used among manufacturers that add high value to their products. Examples are special baked goods, seafood, meat, poultry, and dairy products. It is also relevant in nonfood industries, such as pharma and metal.
We recommend cryogenic freezing for new production lines, seasonal production, or small and medium productions of high-quality food. The investment in a cryogenic freezing solution is 2.5 times lower than in a mechanical solution, the initial start-up costs and operating costs are lower, dimensions are smaller, and cryogenic equipment is always ready to use and easy and fast to clean. However, as production grows, the operational costs of cryogenic freezing will exceed the costs of running a mechanical solution.
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Customized solutions
Flexible cryo freezing for your production
Not only is cryogenic equipment a low investment, but it is also an incredibly flexible solution that allows you to change product, vary batch volume, and change temperature from -180°C to +600°C in the same machine.
Cryogenic freezing systems are often used by manufacturers with limited space in their production or companies with products in the beginning of a product life cycle. But we also support customers who need a cryogenic solution for extremely fast crust freezing of food to maintain its shape and form, from burger patties and chicken breasts to foie gras before further freezing in a mechanical IQF freezer.
Fast freezing
Sustain food quality and yield
Fast freezing is the best way to sustain food, especially when it is frozen at its peak freshness. It reduces the activity of microorganisms, chemical and enzymatic reactions, and it sustains a high degree of nutritional value. It also results in less yield loss and better product quality.
This is also the case with cryogenic freezing. Cryofreezing is shock freezing. It is the fastest method of freezing available. That is why it suits quality food. During any freezing process, ice crystals will form inside the product. Different foods freeze differently based on the amount of water, sugar, muscle tissue, and air in the product. However, common for all types of food is that the faster food freezes, the smaller the ice crystals are. Moreover, small ice crystals are preferrable; they do less damage to cell walls than large ice crystals that punch through the membranes. As a result, when foods with small ice crystals thaw, there is less drip loss of liquids and fewer changes to the product’s shape, texture, and color. In the case of very fast cryogenic freezing, the loss of weight per kilogram is only 0.2-0.3%.
Inert environments
Hygiene and food safety
Cryogenic freezing always takes place in an inert environment, and due to the very low temperatures of liquid nitrogen and CO2, cryogenic freezing equipment is highly hygienic. Combined, this affects the safety of your food as no bacteria can survive the extremely cold environment in a cryofreezer.
Depending on your product, defrosting could be necessary every 20 hours. Your cryofreezer will be able to run for 8, 12, or 16 hours a day in case your products are not frozen when loaded in the freezer. In case of already crust frozen products, the cryofreezer can run for 20-24 hours without defrosting.
Sustainability
Cryogenic freezing is an energy friendly choice
Cryogenic freezing is likely to have a positive effect on your energy consumption as cryogenic machines consume practically no electrical energy. However, in looking holistically at energy consumption, it is noteworthy that producing nitrogen takes up a lot of energy, whereas C02 is a waste product from ammonia plants and is sort of reused.
On top of that, cryofreezers are small and easy to clean – this has a positive effect on the water usage for cleaning.
Bio-pharmaceutical and metal treatment
Cryogenic freezing and heating of non-food
Cryogenic technology is mainly used for freezing food. However, cryogenic equipment is also used for freezing and cooling bio-pharmaceutical products such as vaccines, hormones, antibiotics, bacteria enzymes, and blood plasma.
We also design, build, and install cryogenic equipment for metal treatment, primarily for the aviation and automotive industry. By implementing sub-zero quenching as an additional stage in the heat treatment process, it is possible to reduce internal stress and increase the wear resistance of ferrous steels. On top of that, cryogenic hardening optimizes the dimensional stability of steel by transforming the retained austenite to martensite and simultaneously precipitates small carbide particles throughout the material.
