What is the difference between Cryogenic freezing and IQF freezing

1. What is the difference between Cryogenic freezing and IQF freezing Food freezing is an important part of food processing. Mechanically aided freezing aims to extend the shelf life of fresh food and slows down the rate of deterioration. There are two kinds of freezing we’ll look at-- IQF freezing and cryogenic freezing, a novel alternative. Each has areas where it outshines the competition, and today we will explore these areas in detail. What is IQF Freezing? IQF freezing is a type of mechanical freezing. While the IQF technology itself, or at the very least the idea of it, has existed for many decades, it is continuously undergoing steady improvements to become the industry-leading titan today. With the aid of intelligent systems and advances in material design, it managed to offer the best in terms of control, food safety, maintenance requirements, and efficiency. What is Cryogenic freezing? At the same time, there is a new contender for the number one spot. Cryogenic freezing aims to reduce the temperature of the product through a certain medium, typically liquid nitrogen, or carbon dioxide, to achieve excellent freezing time without damaging the quality of the product. This process is done within a closed space to the product, in contrast to the interweaving of refrigerant within the cooler necessary to freeze products inside a mechanical freezer. The refrigerant substance exchanges heat from the air and reduces food temperature to the required degree. Types of cryogenic freezing systems There is a subset of cryogenic approaches that are particularly effective and contrast well with IQF. It has a low investment cost since often the suppliers offer their equipment for free; however, there is the regular cost for the gas supply to be kept in mind. The main advantage of this type of freezing is its fast- freezing rate and low dehydration. Additionally, the sizes of the freezers can be kept small. However, as we will later note, modern mechanical freezers can offer similar benefits. Cryogenic freezing systems can be of the immersion and spraying types. Immersion Immersion is a highly effective method, meaning that it has an incredibly short freezing time, and, consequently, extremely low dehydration rates. The products are immersed separately into the freezing substance, preventing cross-contamination and the containers themselves are quite easy to clean. In short, it’s the ideal freezing method, on paper; in reality, things become more complicated, with large caveats to consider. Spraying The second approach involves the spraying of a freezing medium over the food products, typically the medium being liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide, as the products are circulated on a conveyor belt. The freezing result is fast, not as fast as the earlier method, but significantly quick. As a result, dehydration rates are kept low. This approach, too, is not without its kinks that will be addressed further on. IQF freezing details One of the advantages of IQF freezers is the high air velocity impingement systems, that can quickly freeze certain types of smaller products, with no packaging. Examples include shrimp, diced meat, small

2. fruits, and vegetables, as well as peas. Due to their small size, the cool air at high velocity can suspend the products and freeze them separately, avoiding the creation of lumps in the product. The footprint of this type of freezing can be easily kept small, as the associated refrigeration plant can be packaged in a weatherproof housing and made mobile, allowing for simpler transportation, and added flexibility in usage. This is seen as a boon for many customers, and the industry approach is moving away from large, fixed structures as has been a tradition in the past, and instead looks to provide more compact, modular equipment with movable properties and a small footprint. Additionally, this makes cleaning easier and therefore improves food safety. IQF freezing has advantages in terms of environmental impact, energy efficiency, and running costs. IQF can be performed by only using natural air. Later adjustments to the IQF tunnel can lead to a fully optimized processing performance fitting your organization’s needs. In addition the OctoFrost IQF Freezer includes a high-pressure coil cleaning system for efficient foaming and raising. At the same time, there are stark advantages in terms of food safety, as the bedplates used are easy to remove, exchange, and clean. With an IQF freezing system, you're able to achieve payback within four years or less. Disadvantages No solution is perfect, so it’s important to consider the downside of each approach before committing. Here are some of them: Cryogenic freezing Often, cryogenic freezing incurs significant mechanical costs due to the types of equipment used and the cold environment. There is an incredibly significant dependence on the supplier of the refrigerant, as well as the supply chain itself, and the consumption of said refrigerant is similarly high, with high running costs. This, coupled with equipment guarantees, makes contracts have long-lasting periods, which can prove difficult to get out of, requiring preparations multiple years in advance. Additionally, the working conditions are lesser, as the floor can be damaged from leaking refrigerant and, in the case of nitrogen specifically, can create clouds inside the factory, leading to poor visibility. Immersion freezing For immersion freezing, the problem of dependency on the refrigerant is even more pronounced, as there is an extremely high consumption rating; then, any issues across the supply chain mean potential interruptions in processing. Spray freezing The static nature of the conveyor belt makes it highly likely that lump formation will happen, and products are going to stick harder to the belt, making extraction difficult. This can have the consequences of increased maintenance costs and a lower food safety grading. Additionally, there is the environmental impact of carbon emissions to consider when relying on liquid gas production. In the next article of this series, we will explore the other side, in terms of the disadvantages of IQF freezing.