Freezing foods come in a wide variety of types, and impingement freezing is just one of them. It is especially important for frozen food that will be used to create entrees, such as meat or ones that will be subject to further processing. The process involves cooling air down to an extremely low degree, and jetting it against the product until it cools down to a freezing temperature. This freezes the outer layer to the utmost degree, featuring an even and well spread-out freezing process.
Given that the freezing usually only affects the outer layer of the meat, the natural texture, flavor, and aroma stored within getting preserved in their full glory. Fortunately, the exterior of the meat is often processed and seasoned accordingly, so any loss there due to the freezing process can be easier dealt with, as it is effectively encased in ice only from the outside.
This IQF freezing technology is used to create countless quality foods that are nearly identical to freshly cooked meals, the cost being remarkably close to that standard as well. So, the product is one of incredible quality at an affordable price. This is both quicker than buying fresh, easier, and longer-lasting. Easier to cook and often easier to clean, this food preservation method features a wide array of benefits customers will enjoy. Famously, it can be even cheaper than buying the part individually and preparing the meal yourself, as whatever food product is achieved through impingement freezing likely used components that were bought in bulk.
Everything pre-cooked, pre-prepared, and used in frozen casserole recipes is perfect for processing by way of an impingement freezer as it will ensure the product is one of superior quality in every way. Additionally, the product is guaranteed to have a long shelf life, both at vendors as well as at home.
How does it work?
Typically developed for a range of cooling requirements, there are several freezing variations these machines are capable of, depending on your specific needs. The tunnels have a naturally hygienic approach, delivering high-pressure chilly air to the product and freezing it in the process. It features the ability to process products of different shapes and sizes, at different speeds and with different equipment capabilities.
So, Octofrost’s impingement freezer features capacities ranging from 500 to 1,500 kg/h for your needs. It’s possible to obtain specialized infeed mechanisms to ensure that the product you load does not suffer from breakage or structural damage on the way to be processed. Similarly, the added insight Octofrost has had into making their impingement tunnel freezer completely food safe has been with the unique bedplate technology. Fully original and patented, these bedplates feature a solid surface over which the product lies, with small holes throughout, where the chilly air flows through. This freezing air cycles and is reused after being cooled again, which helps keep costs low and speeds up the cooling process.
Additionally, the IQF process guarantees that the individual pieces of the product are not stuck together – another advantage of this approach. It’s possible to create a frozen product that is quickly frozen and can be reutilized easily for further processing while keeping pieces firmly separated. Think gyros or similar pieces of frozen meat, cut up into handy chunks to be used in cooking or further preparation – it’s easy, fast, and efficient, and processing it is easy with IQF technology.
The air blows both from above as well as from below, creating a quick, effective and complete freezing process for your meat. The dehydration is kept to a minimum, as the process for freezing the crust is done very quickly.
What are the advantages?
Compared to other approaches, impingement freezing has several strong points that cannot be ignored. The multi-layered impingement freezer from the food processing equipment company Octofrost means that you can process a significantly greater amount of product at the same time. That conserves both space in your factory, as well as production time – perfect for the case when your goal is to produce as much as possible, as quickly as possible, and prime materials aren’t the main concern.
Secondly, as previously mentioned, it is far quicker than alternatives. Compared to other belt freezers, the high volume due to multiple layers and speed of the cool air streams mean that it’s possible to go through batches extremely fast and prepare a large volume of frozen products ready for shipment in a noticeably short amount of time.
The multi-level approach features a focus on integrity, perfecting processing time effortlessly. This layered approach comes with the added important benefit of preserving product shape and allows you to process assorted products at the same time. Perfect conditions for perfecting your workflow – if not at the start, then certainly further on!
Structural integrity can be especially important when dealing with cooked meats or products which are especially easy to damage. Cooked shrimp offers a prime example, as they’re both a delicacy and luxury product, where appearance is one of the main factors, as well as a troublesome product to process. Considering shrimp’s high requirements for processing, when it comes to different temperature zones and freezing speed while avoiding over-freezing, structural integrity is key to making sure it is processed uniformly, in a way that allows it to supply everything it can offer in the final product.
Octofrost’s impingement freezer comes with several benefits when processing food:
- Preserves natural appearance – thanks to the quick-freezing method, and separating the individual pieces, it’s easier than ever to create a premium-quality final product.
- High yield – with exhaustive infeed options and great processing ability, you’ll never be limited by Octofrost’s equipment.
- High efficiency – the reuse of frigid air and creation of optimal airflows, in addition to adjustable vents, make it simple to cut down costs on energy.
- Food safety – the novel bedplate technology all but guarantees that the product you have by the end exceeds current industry regulations, provided you follow the maintenance instructions.
