How does it work?
Within the Food and Beverage industry, the IQF (Individual Quick Freezer) are commonly used by many businesses in the processing and preservation of seafood and agricultural products, which works based on the principle: products and materials go along the conveyor belt moving through high-speed air vents, where air vents blow from bottom up and top down to cool down the conveyor.
A conventional IQF consists of a compressor to compresses air and utilize refrigerants (normally NH3) to cool coils that lower the temperature of that compressed air, that cold circulating air is then used to remove heat from the food products. Whereas, the Nitrogen Freezer removes heat through subjecting food products directly to pre-cooled substance, i.e. as liquid nitrogen (LN2). Liquid Nitrogen produced at Linde's Air Separation Plant reaches the deep cool of -196 ° C, then stored in the storage tank and sprayed directly onto food products; as such it shortens the freezing time to 3-4 times faster than a conventional IQF. Nitrogen gas is a completely safe gas, commonly used in the food industry, helping to avoid the risk of bacterial contamination compared to refrigeration which directly taking air from outside.
Liquid nitrogen freezer improves food quality
Under normal freezing circumstances, water contained in food form the ice crystals. These large crystals tend to damage the cell membrane of foods resulting in altered taste, texture and nutritional values. Freezing with liquid nitrogen helps to faster freezing times, resulting in smaller ice crystals, which mean less cellular damage to food products. This means products are juicier, have better texture and exhibit less drip loss.
Dehydration loss in the Liquid nitrogen freezer is 1/3 to the mechanical freezer. Increasing the nitrogen’s speed is effective: It permeates the food items’ thermal resistance and creates an ice crust around them – locking in natural flavours, nutrients, and moisture. With cryogen impingement, you have five to ten times less dehydration than with conventional freezers.
The Liquid Nitrogen freezer is currently used to improve the quality of many different products: seafood, poultry, beef, fruit, ready-to-eat food, etc. Our team at Linde Gas Vietnam will work with customers to conduct trial tests on their own products to see the difference between using liquid nitrogen freezer and regular IQF freezer line.
A specific freezing plan shall be calculated to make sure it is suitable for each type of product and most cost-effective, based on the characteristics of each product such as size, structure, and moisture of the product, whereas products with relatively thin films or products with thick and layered structures need special attention.
Customers interested in the Liquid nitrogen quick freezer are welcomed to contact the following address for more information and product testing:
Linde Gas Vietnam
Phone: +84 254 3 923 431
Email: info.vn@linde.com
Freezing with liquid nitrogen for durian freezing
Linde Gas Vietnam also provides liquid nitrogen quick freezers for products such as whole fish, whole durian fruit, etc.
The liquid nitrogen quick freezing technology is being used popularly in ASEAN countries as well as Vietnam for durian freezing for export. By subjecting the product directly to liquid Nitrogen, this technology quickly removes heat and brings durian to a deep cool temperature. Instead of taking more than 10 hours to completely freeze a durian due to durian’s large size and thick skin, a liquid nitrogen quick freezer takes only 60-90 minutes to freeze a whole durian to the core temperature at minus 18 ℃or less. Therefore, the liquid nitrogen freezer is considered the supreme freezing technology for durian for now.
At Linde Vietnam, we provide our customers with a complete solution package for liquid nitrogen durian freezer, including design & engineering, freezer rental, liquid nitrogen supply directly from Linde's factory, and technical support throughout the operation period.
For customers interested in Liquid Nitrogen Freezer for durian, learn more: DurianQuickFreezing