Technology has successfully enabled us to freeze food rapidly. And it has made it possible without losing food’s inherent value. Yes, that’s what a blast freezer does. Now, imagine the applications of this technology across industries. It’s not just used in the food industry to preserve ice creams and canned foods. It has varied uses in other fields as well.
What is a blast freezer?
A blast freezer is a particular type of freezer that cools stuff rapidly under extremely cold temperatures. The temperatures can go as low as -45 ℃ in such a freezer. From freezing dairy products and meat to storing vaccines and medicines in cold rooms, the applications of blast freezers are huge.
Changing dynamics of food preservation
Modern life is busy, and freshly prepared meals are an exception rather than the norm. Ready-to-eat and ready-to-make food products are all the rage these days. Busy working professionals can’t spend too much time cooking. Hence, there is a need for a change in the science of food preservation.
This objective has been achieved to a large extent ever since the blast freezer came into the picture. The mechanical dynamics of such a freezer is quite different from the traditional freezer and the results are there for all to see. The efficiency is much higher and the retention in food quality is much better.
How blast freezing works
The working principle behind a blast freezer is the freezing of ice crystals inside food molecules. The freezing temperatures inside the cold room doors of such a freezer make the water molecules inside the food freeze. Basically, the water residues inside the food are turned into ice crystals.
The blowers in the blast freezer blow cold air on the surface of the material to be preserved. The bursts of freezing, cold air turn the water molecules into icy crystals in quick succession. This process is different from the working of ordinary freezers. The latter does the same thing but only slowly. They take longer to freeze and also make the crystals larger.
There’s a problem with this technique. Once the ice is thawed, the cell structure gets damaged owing to the larger crystals that form. The texture of the food suffers as a result, and there’s bound to be wastage.
This is not the case with the blast freezer, though. The crystals formed are much smaller as there’s a rapid burst of cold air. The thawing afterwards keeps the cellular structure of food molecules intact, and the food is just as fresh as before.
Advantages of blast freezing
The advantages of blast freezing are manifold. Here’s a detailed look at its benefits over traditional freezing:
1. Extended shelf life
The freezer’s cold room doors extend the products’ shelf life. The usual temperature inside the freezer is -40 ℃ or even lower. Such rapid freezing doesn’t give the microbes any chance to grow!
There’s no way microbes, yeast, or molds can multiply under such extreme ecological conditions. The product doesn’t spoil as a result and it can be stored for a longer period..
2. Preserves texture and flavor
You can feel the difference in texture and taste when you thaw frozen seafood or vegetables taken out from ordinary freezers. It simply doesn’t taste good! However, thaw it out of a blast freezer and taste it. There’s a stark contrast there.
When the smaller ice crystals thaw, they don’t rupture the cell wall of the food molecule. The food remains just as fresh as when it was first frozen.
3. Retains nutritional value
A blast freezer preserves the nutrition inside the food. It does this by minimizing the exposure of the nutrients to the fluctuations of oxygen, temperature, and light. The slow and steady application of extremely cold air doesn’t allow the compounds to degrade.
The vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients in the food products are thus adequately protected.
The difference in nutritional value retention could be double that of ordinary freezers.
4. Flexible and versatile
Ordinary freezers falter when the quantity is increased. The freezing effect is reduced when there are bulk materials to be handled. The effect also varies when there’s a diversity in components.
A blast freezer, on the other hand, is antifragile. It handles individual products and bulk materials equally well. It is also material agnostic which means that it doesn’t matter which material you preserve. The effect remains the same.
Key Takeaway
The blast freezer has given us exceptional results in terms of food preservation. It has allowed us to retain food’s inherent nutrition and preserve it for a long time. This has been a blessing to the food and pharma industry in particular. We are at the cusp of food preservation science with these freezers. The day is not far when we can preserve food for decades.