CHAPTER 7:
FOOD REFRIGERATION
AND FREEZING PART II
CH2035 FOOD ENGINEERING 2
Semester 1, 2024-2025
bblee@[Link]
OUTLINE:
▪ Introduction
▪ Food freezing
▪ Type of freezing
equipment
bblee@[Link]
INTRODUCTION
▪ The preservation of food by freezing
has become a major industry in advanced
countries - frozen vegetables, fruits
▪ Preservation of a food by freezing occurs by several
mechanisms.
➢ At below 0°C there is a significant reduction in growth
rates for microorganisms & in the corresponding
deterioration of the product due to microbial activity &
reduce the enzymatic and oxidative reactions.
➢ The formation of ice crystals within the product changes
the availability of water to participate in deteriorative
reactions.
➢ Although freezing as a preservation process generally
results in a high-quality product for consumption, the
quality is influenced by the freezing process and frozen-
storage conditions. bblee@[Link]
INTRODUCTION
▪ The freezing rate or time allowed for the product
temperature to be reduced from above to below the initial
freezing temperature will influence product quality, but in a
variable manner depending on the food commodity.
➢For some products, rapid freezing (short freezing time) is
required to ensure formation of small ice crystals within the
product structure & minimal damage to the product texture.
➢Other products are not influenced by structural changes and
do not justify the added costs associated with rapid freezing.
➢ Freezer burn happens
when frozen foods are
exposed to cold, dry air,
which causes them to
dehydrate as the outer
layers lose moisture. bblee@[Link]
FOOD FEEZING
▪ The products must be frozen as soon as possible after
processing and maintained frozen up to thawing/
consumption.
▪ Studies have been conducted to analyse the freezing
process and its effects on the final quality of food.
▪ Freezing damage of food is due to four reasons:
i. the dehydration occurring due to osmotic forces,
ii. the mechanical damage from ice crystals,
iii. the solute-concentration damage,
iv. the chill damage.
▪ The quality of frozen foods depends on the:
➢ (i) good initial product quality
❖ Since freezing is a relatively expensive process and it
neither kills microorganisms nor inactivates enzymes, it is
very important to select products of very good initial quality.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢(ii) correct application of additional processing methods,
when required;
❖ Mechanical or thermal damage during the preparation for
freezing must be avoided, because they result in the loss
of valuable food components, increase the danger of post-
contamination, & cause degradation of the quality of the
final products.
❖ If additional thermal processing, like blanching of
vegetables, is required, this should be effective but as
minimum as possible, avoiding damage to the initial high
quality of the product.
➢(iii) hygienic processing conditions;
❖ The hygienic conditions of food preparation and freezing
must be very good to avoid any infection or
contamination before freezing.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢(iv) right freezing speed;
❖ Packaging protects food from any post-contamination and
reduces the weight loss during freezing or storage.
❖ However, although packaging of food before freezing
contributes to the good final quality of the product, it has
the disadvantage of retarding the freezing speed.
❖ In comparing freezing methods and freezing of foods, the
freezing speed is helpful.
❖ It gives the time that is
required for the “cold
front,” i.e., the borderline
between frozen and
unfrozen part of food, to
move toward the side of
the nonfrozen food
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢As recommended by International Institute of Refrigeration:
➢The freezing speed (u) is distinguished in four categories:
i. the slow freezing, u = 0.1–0.2 cm/h (bulk freezing in cold
store rooms);
ii. the quick freezing, u = 0.5–3 cm/h (blast freezing or plate
freezing);
iii. the rapid freezing, u = 5–10 cm/h (individual freezing of
small pieces of food in fluidized freezers);
iv. the ultra rapid freezing, u = 10–100 cm/h (spraying with
liquids or cryogenic freezing).
➢For retail packages, freezing speeds u>0.5 cm/h and, for
individual freezing, freezing speeds u>5 cm/h are considered
satisfactory.
➢The freezing speed: u = x/t
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢where u is freezing speed (cm/h); x is distance from the
surface contacting the freezing medium (cm); and t, freezing
time (h).
▪ Generally, freezing must be done quickly, resulting in the
production of small ice crystals, which do not damage the
cells of the products very much.
▪ The large ice crystals damage the cell walls and valuable
substances are lost during thawing.
Ice crystals
in cells
freezing of
food cells
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ For reducing the number of large ice crystals in the food,
the product must not remain for a long time in the critical
temperature zone, in which crystallization takes place.
➢The number and size of crystals
formed depend on several factors,
influencing the heat transfer.
➢Such factors are the mass of the
product that must be frozen, the
method of freezing, the freezing
conditions, and the packaging.
➢However, the quality of the food
does not always depend on the Zone of crystallization
high speed of freezing. in food freezing
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢(v) proper thawing.
❖ Thawing plays also an important role in the final quality of
food.
❖ When using conventional methods (hot air, warm water, or
steam), thawing of a certain piece of food lasts longer than
freezing.
❖This happens because the
thermal conductivity of ice is
almost four-fold of that of
water (ice, 2.2 W/m K; water,
0.6 W/m K).
❖As thawing proceeds, the
water on the external part of
the food causes a relative
delay in heat transfer toward Freezing and thawing of food.
the still frozen product core Ti initial temperature, Tf final temperature
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING Table 1: Freezing points
▪ In calculations related to the of foods
freezing of food, the freezing
point, the fraction of frozen
water, and the freezing time
of the products are important.
➢ The freezing point is
important in thawing
estimations and in avoiding
damage of products that
should be chilled near their
freezing point, without
crossing it (e.g., cold storage
of fruits).
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ The fraction of frozen water is
important in estimating the most
economic and proper freezing
temperature.
➢Freezing is completed, when no
significant increase in the freezing of
water of a product takes place.
➢This fraction varies from product to
product.
➢At the end of freezing of white bread,
its frozen water is only about 62 %,
while in strawberries, it is about 95 %.
➢Figure 1 gives the fraction of frozen
water of several foods, for temperatures Fig. 1: Fraction of
below 0°C (–15 to –30°C). frozen water in foods
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢ Usually, freezing is completed at –18 to –20°C.
▪ The freezing time of food is important in economic and technical
analyses and estimations.
➢ It is important in estimating the output and the capacity of a
unit, in selecting the right freezing equipment, in adjusting
equipment for getting the best possible freezing result, and in
manufacturing of proper equipment.
➢ In freezing time calculations, the Plank equation is used.
❖ The Plank equation gives a rough estimate of the freezing time
for basic geometric shapes, such as infinite plate,
❖ infinite cylinder, and sphere.
❖ According to this equation, the interrelation of freezing time of
these three geometric shapes:
tf,plate:tf,cylinder:tf,sphere=1.0:0.5:0.33
❖ However, since there are several limitations, restricting an
accurate calculation of any food, several attempts have been
undertaken to modify this equation or develop a specific one.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢ the Plank equation is expressed as:
𝜌𝐻𝐿 𝑃𝑎 𝑅𝑎2 ➢tf = freezing time (s)
𝑡𝑓 = + ➢ρ = dennsity of food (kg/m2)
𝑇𝑓 − 𝑇𝐴 ℎ𝑐 𝜆
➢HL = latent heat of crystallization (J/kg)
➢R & P = constants for ➢Tf = initial temperature of food (°C)
accounting the influence ➢TA = temperature of the freezing
of the shape of the medium (°C), characteristic dimension
product. (e.g., thickness of product parallel to
➢For sphere, P = 1/16, R = direction of prevailing heat transfer) (m)
1/24;
➢λ = thermal conductivity of the product
➢for infinite plate, P = 1/2,
R = 1/8; (W/mK)
➢for infinite cylinder, P = ➢hc = surface heat transfer coefficient
1/4, R = 1/16 (W/m2K)
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ Example:
➢ A spherical food product is being frozen in an air-blast
freezer.
➢ The initial product temperature is 10°C and the cold air -
40°C.
➢ The product has a 7 cm diameter with density of 1000 kg/m3
, the initial freezing temperature is - 1.25°C, the thermal
conductivity of the frozen product is 1.2 W/(m.K), and the
latent heat of fusion is 250 kJ/kg.
➢ Compute the freezing time.
▪ Solution:
➢ Initial product temperature, Ti = 10°C
➢ Air temperature, T = - 40°C
➢ Initial freezing temperature, TF = - 1.25°C
➢ Product diameter, a = 7 cm = 0.07 m bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢ Product density, ρf = 1000 kg/m3
➢ Thermal conductivity of frozen product, k = 1.2 W/(m K)
➢ Latent heat, HL = 250 kJ/kg
➢ Convective heat-transfer coefficient, hc = 50 W/(m2 K)
➢ Shape constants for spheres:
2
➢ P’ = 1/6, R’ = 1/24, 𝜌𝐻𝐿 𝑃𝑎 𝑅𝑎
𝑡𝑓 = +
𝑇𝑓 − 𝑇𝐴 ℎ𝑐 𝜆
1 1 2
6 0.07𝑚
1000𝑘𝑔 𝑘𝐽 0.07𝑚
( )(250 ) 24
𝑚3 𝑘𝑔
𝑡𝐹 = 50𝑊
+ 1.2𝑊
−1.25−(−40) 𝑚2 .𝐾 𝑚.𝐾
tf = 2.6 kJ/W = 2.6 x 103 s
= 0.72 h
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ Plank’s equation shows that the freezing time:
➢ increases with higher food density & increased food size, &
➢ decreases with higher temperature differences between
the food and the freezing medium,
➢ decreases with higher thermal conductivity of the frozen
food and higher surface heat transfer coefficient.
▪ Limitations to Plank’s equation are related primarily to
assignment of quantitative values to the equation components.
➢ Density of frozen foods are difficult to locate or measure.
➢ Although the initial freezing temperature is tabulated for many
foods, the initial and final product temperatures are not
accounted for in the equation for computation of freezing time.
➢ The thermal conductivity k should be for the frozen product,
& accurate values are not readily available for most foods.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ There are different stages involved in lowering the
temperature of a food below its freezing point.
[i] First, sensible heat is removed and in fresh foods, heat
produced by respiration is also removed.
➢ This is termed the heat load and is important in
determining the correct size of freezing equipment for a
particular production rate.
[ii] Latent heat is removed when water freezes to ice.
➢ Most foods contain a large proportion of water which has a
high specific heat (4182 J kg-1K-1) and a high latent heat of
crystallisation (335 kJ kg-1).
➢ A substantial amount of energy is therefore needed to
remove sensible and latent heat to form ice crystals.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢The latent heat of other components of the food (e.g. fats)
must also be removed before they can solidify but in most
foods they are present in smaller amounts and require
removal of a relatively small amount of heat for
crystallisation.
➢Energy for freezing is supplied as electrical energy, which
is used to compress refrigerants in mechanical freezing
equipment or to compress and cool refrigerants.
▪ In foods that contain a large proportion of water the
formation of ice has a dramatic effect on their thermo-
physical properties:
➢ The density falls as the proportion of ice increases.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢ The thermal conductivity
increases (the thermal
conductivity of ice is
approximately four times
greater than that of water), the
enthalpy decreases.
➢ The specific heat rises
substantially as ice is formed
& then falls back to
approximately the same value
as water when the food
temperature is reduced to
≈20 0C. Fig. 2: Freezing diagram
➢ The thermal diffusivity of
the food increases after initial of water and a food
ice formation as the material.
temperature is further
reduced. bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ The calculation includes the heat load Q (J) for reducing the
temperature of a product from an initial temperature Ti to
the freezing temperature,
Q = mCp (Ti – T0)
➢the load for removing the latent heat,
Q = mHL
➢the load for reducing the temperature of the product from
its freezing point to the final temperature Tf:
Q = mCp (T0 – Tf)
where m is the mass of the product (kg); HL, latent heat (J/kg);
Ti, To, Tf are initial, freezing, and final temperature of the
product (°C); and Cp, Cpf are specific heat (J/kg) of food
above and below freezing, respectively.
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
▪ Pham (1986) developed a simplified equation that included
the time taken to lose sensible heat (to overcome some of the
limitations of the Plank’s equation).
➢ The freezing time: 𝑑𝑐 Δ𝐻1 Δ𝐻2 𝑁𝐵𝑖
𝑡= + 1+
𝐸𝑓 ℎ Δ𝑇1 Δ𝑇2 2
➢ where dc is a characteristic dimension, either shortest
distance to the center, or radius (m),
➢ h is the convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2K),
➢ Ef is the shape factor, an equivalent heat transfer dimension.
➢ Ef = 1 for an infinite slab, Ef = 2 for an infinite cylinder, & Ef
=3 for a sphere.
ℎ
➢ Biot number, 𝐵𝑖 = 𝐿 k = thermal conductivity, h = convective heat
𝑘 transfer coefficient, L = characteristic length
bblee@[Link]
FOOD FREEZING
➢ ΔH1 is the change in enthalpy
for the precooling period
and ΔH2 is the change in
enthalpy for the phase
change and post-cooling
period,
➢ The temperature gradients
ΔT1 and ΔT2 are obtained
from following equations:
Freezing diagram of food, divided
into sections for Pham’s method.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
▪ The food freezing has the following advantages:
i. good quality of final product,
ii. extended shelf life of high-quality raw products,
[Link] in the field of catering.
▪ The disadvantages of food freezing include:
i. relatively expensive process;
ii. the freezing chain must not
be interrupted up to the final
consumption;
iii. dependence on high-quality
raw materials.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
▪ The freezing equipment can be classified according to:
i. the temperature applied (above or below –40°C),
ii. the processed product (solid, liquid),
iii. the freezing medium (air, cold surface, liquid),
iv. the way of processing (continuous, batch).
[I] Air Freezing Equipment:
▪ Air is used in freezing food in tunnels, conveyor belts, and
fluidized bed equipment.
➢ In all cases, air is blown counter-currently to the product, and
depending on the freezing method, it is blown horizontally or
vertically to the product.
➢ In tunnel freezing, the horizontal blow method prevails.
➢ In fluidized beds, air is blown vertically upward, and in belt
freezing, both blowing methods are used.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢ Since the specific heat of air is low, large air quantities are
required for freezing.
[i] Air-Blast Freezers
➢ The product size and/or shape may not accommodate by
other freezer like plate freezing.
➢ For these situations, air-blast freezing systems become the
best alternative.
➢ In some cases, the package film is the barrier for the indirect
freezing, with cold air being the source of refrigeration.
➢ Air-blast freezers can be a simple design, as in the case of a
refrigerated room.
➢ In this situation, the product is placed in the room, and the low-
temperature air is allowed to circulate around the product for
the desire residence of freezing time.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢ This approach represents a batch mode, and the
refrigerated room may act as a storage space in addition to
the freezing compartment.
➢ In most cases, freezing times will be long because of lower
air speeds over the product, inability to achieve intimate
contact between product and cold air, and the smaller
temperature gradients between product and air.
▪ In these systems, the
product is carried
on a conveyor that
moves through a
stream of high-
velocity air.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢ The length and speed of the conveyor establish the
residence of freezing time.
➢ These times can be relatively small based on the use of
very low-temperature air, high air velocities, and good
contact between individual product packages & the cold
air.
▪ Continuous air-blast freezing systems
use a variety of different conveying
arrangements for movement of
product through the refrigerated air.
Continuous air-blast
freezing system.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
[ii] Tunnel Freezers
➢ Freezing in a tunnel is used in freezing of a wide range of
products, extending from fine cut or minced products up to
whole poultry or even half beef carcasses.
➢ It consists of an insulated room with one door or with two
doors for a continuous operation.
➢ The difference between the two types of tunnels is that in
freezing, the air temperature is –30 to –40°C, the insulation
of the chamber is thicker, and the air velocity is higher
(3–6 m/s).
➢ This requires larger heat exchangers and more powerful
fans.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢Larger air velocity (e.g., 10 m/s)
would reduce the freezing time, but
the benefit of such reduction is not
so significant, if the increased
energy consumption is taken into
account, because the energy
increases with the third power of
the air velocity.
Tunnel Freezers: (a) push-
through system, (b) rack
bblee@[Link]
system, (c) chain drive system.
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢The three main loading systems of a tunnel are:
a. the push-through system, in which for each new trolley
coming in the tunnel, a trolley with frozen product gets out;
b. the rack system, which is applied to freezing of carcasses;
c. the chain drive system, in which the trolleys are pulled by
a chain, in and out of the tunnel.
➢ When using trolleys, the product is first put on trays.
➢ If no large pieces, like poultry, are frozen, a trolley can be
loaded with 40 trays and carry about 250–300 kg of
product.
▪ The freezing time depends on the size and thermal
conductivity of the product.
➢For product on trays, it lasts usually 1.5–6 h.
➢There are single-row or double-row tunnels. bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢Usually, the fans are in a channel above the trolleys.
➢The heat exchangers are on both sides, and in the case of a
double row, they are also between the trolleys.
➢The capacity of a tunnel with 8 loaded trolleys is 1.5–4.0
tons/h.
➢This corresponds to a specific capacity of about 25 kg/m2.h
of tray area.
➢It is important to put the trolleys and trays in such a way that
no free spaces between them are left.
▪ The advantages of tunnel freezing are:
i. flexibility, tunnels are suitable for a great variety of
small product quantities;
ii. easy cleaning;
iii. simplicity.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢The disadvantages of tunnels include:
i. they require relatively large space;
ii. more labor is needed than in belt or fluidized bed freezing;
iii. there is significant weight loss of product (2–3 %).
[iii] Fluidized Bed
➢The fluidized bed method is an individual quick-freezing
(IQF) method, used in freezing small whole or cut pieces or
food (diameter up to about 3 cm and length up to about 12 cm),
such as, peas, French fries, sliced or cut carrots, beans,
mushrooms, etc.
➢The food pieces are frozen individually, as they hover in the
air that freezes them quickly.
➢The equipment consists of an inclined screen, fans (usually
radial) blowing air upward through the perforated bottom,
and heat exchangers cooling the air to –40°C. bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢The air, streaming upward, freezes the product, which at the
same time is transported by the air cushion formed.
➢The product is frozen quickly, because:
i. it is surrounded by cold air &
ii. the heat transfer between air and product increases, as
there is a relative motion between the product and the
transporting air.
Fluidized bed freezing bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢Examples of freezing time are peas, 3–4 min, & French fries
and strawberries, 9–13 min.
➢The product layer over the screen depends on the product,
e.g., 3–25 cm (usually about 12 cm).
➢In proper design, the weight loss of the product is <1.5–2 %.
➢A wet product surface and a high freezing rate reduce
weight loss.
➢This is achieved when the air velocity increases, causing
better heat transfer, as the air moves faster along the
product, and the rotation or tumbling of the product during
its transport also increases.
➢However, since high air velocity and low temperature tend
to dry the product, a small relative reduction of air
temperature is beneficial.
➢The capacity of fluidized bed freezing equipment varies
between about 1 and 12 tons/h.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢The specific capacity for fruits & vegetables is about 160
kg/m2h
➢The dimensions of a fluidized bed freezer are length, 2.0–11
m; width, 2–9 m; and height: 3–6 m.
➢The advantages of fluidized bed equipment are:
i. large specific capacity,
ii. reduced product weight loss,
iii. small dimensions,
iv. not many moving parts.
➢Disadvantages of fluidized bed equipment include:
i. relatively high energy requirement,
ii. not for universal use (only for small pieces),
iii. requiring homogeneity of the pieces.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
[II] Belt Freezers
▪ This equipment consists of belts moving through a cold air
steam.
➢ The belts are either straight or curved, made of steel or
plastic material, allowing air to pass through.
➢ In all cases, a special automatic mechanism maintains the
tension of the belts constant.
➢ This kind of equipment is suited for freezing sensitive and
relatively large or heavy pieces of food.
➢ Some examples of products frozen this way are apple slices,
cauliflower, strawberries, artichokes, etc.
➢ Belt freezing equipment is also used in hardening of
prefrozen food.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT c
a
Belt freezing equipment. (a) Straight belt,
(b) elevator belts, (c) Curved (spiral) bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
▪ Advantages of belt freezing equipment are:
i. freezing of a wide range of delicate products,
ii. freezing of wet and sticky products,
iii. possibility to freeze also larger pieces,
iv. freezing of packaged or non-packaged food.
▪ The disadvantages of belt freezing equipment include:
i. relatively many moving parts (fans and belts),
ii. relatively high energy consumption,
iii. high initial capital,
iv. homogeneity of product distribution on the belt required.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
[III] Cold Surface Freezing / plate freezers
➢ Food can be frozen quickly in plate freezing equipment.
➢ It consists of several double-wall plates, in which a refrigerant
circulates.
➢ Food is placed between the plates, which press the food by
means of a hydraulic system lightly (0.06–0.1 bar), for
reducing air pockets between cooling surface & packaging.
Horizontal plate
bblee@[Link] freezing equipment
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢When freezing is finished, the plates separate
and the product is removed for reloading.
➢The double-wall plates are made of extruded
aluminum alloy of food quality.
➢If the equipment is used for freezing fish in chips:
❖ the aluminum alloy used must be also seawater resistant.
❖ Vertical plates are used in freezing fish in ships, because they
require less free headroom.
❖ The number of parallel plates can be 5–20.
❖ Their spacing (distance) is up to 7 cm, &
their surface is 1.5–2.0 m2 (e.g., 1.5 x 0.8 m
or 2.0 x 1.1 m).
❖ Vertical plate equipment usually has
12–16 plates, lying 5–9.5 cm apart.
❖ The surface of the plates can be, e.g., 1.2x0.6 m. bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢Plate equipment is used in freezing of whole fish, fish fillets,
pieces of meat (e.g., chops) product packed in rectangular
packages, and liquid slurries.
❖ The last product is frozen in plastic bags,
hanging between vertical plates.
❖ The capacity of plate equipment is 6–13 tons/24 h.
❖ The refrigeration capacity of large units is about 75 kW.
❖ The freezing of a 5-cm fish block can last about 1.15 h.
❖ The specific capacity of a plate freezing equipment is about
160 kg/m2 h.
❖ The product, before entering the plate freezing equipment, is
placed on metal trays.
❖ This is done for avoiding the icing of the plates, due to water
loss of the product.
❖ The parallel plates are placed in an insulated cabinet. bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢In the continuous system, two doors are used, one for feeding
and one (on the opposite side) for emptying.
❖ The automatic feeding is based on the push-through system.
❖ Each time that the freezing of products of a tray is completed, a
new tray enters, pushing that with the frozen products out.
❖ In the vertical plate equipment, the product (mainly fish) is
frozen unpacked.
❖ It is taken out of the plates during defrosting (heating of the
plates).
❖ The great advantage of plate freezers is their good specific
capacity.
❖ This is about four times as high as that of freezing tunnels (85
kg/m2 h).
❖ The overall dimensions of a cabinet containing 20 parallel
plates may be 3x2x2 m and its weight 1.8–2.0 tons.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
[IV] Freezers for Liquid Foods
▪ The most efficient removal of thermal energy from a liquid
food can be accomplished before the product is placed in a
package.
➢ Although any indirect heat exchanger designed for a liquid food
would be acceptable, the most common type is a scraped-
surface system.
➢ The heat exchangers for freezing liquid foods are designed
specifically for freezing, with the heat-exchange shell
surrounding the product compartment becoming an evaporator
for a vapor-compression refrigeration system.
➢ This approach provides precise control of the heat-exchange
surface by adjustment of pressure on the low-pressure side of
the refrigeration system.
➢ For freezing liquid foods, the residence time in the freezing
compartment is sufficient to decrease the product
temperature by several degrees below the temperature of
initial ice-crystal formation. bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢ At these temperatures, between 60 and 80% of the latent heat
has been removed from the product, and the product is in the
form of a frozen slurry.
➢ In this condition, the product flows quite readily and can be
placed in a package for final freezing in a low-temperature
refrigerated space.
➢ The scraped-surface heat exchanger ensures efficient heat
exchange between the slurry and the cold surface.
▪ Freezing systems for liquid foods can be batch or continuous.
The batch system places a given amount of unfrozen liquid in
the compartment and allows the freezing process to continue
until the desired final temperature is reached.
➢The product compartment is a scraped-surface heat
exchanger but is operated as a batch system.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
➢ In the case of ice-cream freezing, the system
is designed with facility for injection of air
into the frozen slurry to achieve the desired
product consistency.
▪ A continuous freezing system for liquid
foods is the basic system is a scraped-surface
heat exchanger using refrigerant during
phase change as the cooling medium.
➢ The rotor acts as a mixing device, & the
scraper blades enhance heat transfer at the
heat-exchange surface.
➢ For these systems, the residence time for Continuous
product in the compartment will be sufficient freezing
to reduce the product temperature by the system for
desired amount & to provide time for any liquid foods.
other changes in the product before it is
placed in the package for final freezing.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
[V] Immersion Freezers
▪ By immersion of the food product in liquid refrigerant, the
product surface is reduced to a very low temperature.
➢Assuming the product objects are relatively small, the freezing
process is accomplished very rapidly or under IQF conditions.
➢For typical products, the freezing time is shorter than for the
air-blast or fluidized-bed systems.
➢In this system, the product is carried into a bath of liquid
refrigerant & is conveyed through the liquid while the
refrigerant changes from liquid to vapor & absorbs heat from
the product.
➢The most common refrigerants
for this purpose are nitrogen
& carbon dioxide.
An immersion
bblee@[Link]
freezing system.
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
▪ A commercial version of the immersion IQF freezing system,
the product freezing compartment is filled with refrigerant
vapors while the product is conveyed through the system.
➢ In addition, the product is exposed to a spray of liquid
refrigerant, which absorbs thermal energy from the product
while changing phase from liquid to vapor.
Individual quick
freezing (IQF) using
liquid refrigerant.
bblee@[Link]
TYPE OF FREEZING EQUIPMENT
▪ One of the major disadvantages of immersion-type freezing
systems is the cost of the refrigerant.
➢ Since the refrigerant changes from liquid to vapor while the
product freezes, it becomes difficult to recover the vapors
leaving the freezing compartment.
➢ These refrigerants are expensive, and the overall efficiency
of the freezing system is a function of the ability to recover and
reuse the vapors produced in the freezing compartments..
bblee@[Link]