Blast Freezers and the Technology Used

Blast Freezers

Blast freezing is a method used to quickly freeze products, by pushing cold air at high velocities around them. Blast freezing occurs in a number of industries, but the most common one is the food industry. Seafood, frozen dinners, snacks, and vegetables use blast freezing for fast freeze times. Fast freeze times created by blast freezers allow the manufacturer to get the most out of production time. Blast freezing allows frozen food producers to keep quantity high without jeopardizing quality.

Cold storage temperatures are used to maintain a product while blast freezing is used to cool a product quickly. Many factors determine how blast freezers work. Factors include proper packaging, freezing speed, low temperatures, and “cold chain” continuity. Proper packaging ensures contaminants cannot enter the product. Most containers are made of plastic for this reason, and are sealed with container films. Freezing speed is a little bit more complicated. Freezing is the process of water within a cell dropping in temperature, and becoming solid. This process occurs when water molecules bond with each other, creating a lattice type of pattern. As the lattices form, ice crystals begin to develop. The slower the freeze, the larger the crystal. In blast freezing, molecules don’t have time to form as quickly. This reduces the water content, leaving a product soft after it is defrosted.

 

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