FROZEN

Freezing is one of the oldest and most widely used methods of food preservation, which allows preservation of taste, texture, and nutritional value in foods better than any other method. The freezing process is a combination of the beneficial effects of low temperatures at which microorganisms cannot grow, chemical reactions are reduced, and cellular metabolic reactions are delayed.

The importance of freezing as a preservation method

Freezing preservation retains the quality of agricultural products over long storage periods. As a method of long-term preservation for fruits and vegetables, freezing is generally regarded as superior to canning and dehydration, with respect to retention in sensory attributes and nutritive properties. The safety and nutrition quality of frozen products are emphasized when high quality raw materials are used, good manufacturing practices are employed in the preservation process, and the products are kept in accordance with specified temperatures.

The need for freezing and frozen storage

Freezing has been successfully employed for the long-term preservation of many foods, providing a significantly extended shelf life. The process involves lowering the product temperature generally to -18 °C or below. The physical state of food material is changed when energy is removed by cooling below freezing temperature. The extreme cold simply retards the growth of microorganisms and slows down the chemical changes that affect quality or cause food to spoil.

Competing with new technologies of minimal processing of foods, industrial freezing is the most satisfactory method for preserving quality during long storage periods. When compared in terms of energy use, cost, and product quality, freezing requires the shortest processing time. Any other conventional method of preservation focused on fruits and vegetables, including dehydration and canning, requires less energy when compared with energy consumption in the freezing process and storage. However, when the overall cost is estimated, freezing costs can be kept as low (or lower) as any other method of food preservation.

Freezing process:

The freezing process mainly consists of thermodynamic and kinetic factors, which can dominate each other at a particular stage in the freezing process. Major thermal events are accompanied by reduction in heat content of the material during the freezing process as is shown in Figure 1. The material to be frozen first cools down to the temperature at which nucleation starts. Before ice can form, a nucleus, or a seed, is required upon which the crystal can grow; the process of producing this seed is defined as nucleation. Once the first crystal appears in the solution, a phase change occurs from liquid to solid with further crystal growth. Therefore, nucleation serves as the initial process of freezing, and can be considered as the critical step that results in a complete phase change.

Freezing point of foods

Freezing point is defined as the temperature at which the first ice crystal appears and the liquid at that temperature is in equilibrium with the solid. If the freezing point of pure water is considered, this temperature will correspond to 0 °C (273°K). However, when food systems are frozen, the process becomes more complex due to the existence of both free and bound water. Bound water does not freeze even at very low temperatures. Unfreezable water contains soluble solids, which cause a decrease in the freezing point of water lower than 0 °C. During the freezing process, the concentration of soluble solids increases in the unfrozen water, resulting in a variation in freezing temperature. Therefore, the temperature at which the first ice crystal appears is commonly regarded as the initial freezing temperature. There are empirical equations in literature that can calculate the initial freezing temperature of certain foods as a function of their moisture content.

Refrigeration

Refrigeration is defined as the elimination of heat from a material at a temperature higher than the temperature of its surroundings. The mechanism of refrigeration is a part of the freezing process and freezing storage involved in the thermodynamic aspects of freezing. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat only flows from higher to lower temperatures. Therefore, in order to raise the heat from a lower to a higher temperature level, expenditure of work is needed. The aim of industrial refrigeration processes is to eliminate heat from low temperature points towards points with higher temperature. For this reason, either closed mechanical refrigeration cycles in which refrigeration fluids circulate, or open cryogenic systems with liquid nitrogen (LIN) or carbon dioxide (CO₂), are commonly used by the food industry.

The main elements in a closed mechanical refrigeration system are the condenser, compressor, evaporator, and the expansion valve. The refrigerants hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) and ammonia are examples of the refrigerants circulated in these types of mechanical refrigeration systems.

Packaging

Proper packaging of frozen food is important to protect the product from contamination and damage while in transit from the manufacturer to the consumer, as well as to preserve food value, flavour, colour, and texture. There are several factors considered in designing a suitable package for a frozen food. The package should be attractive to the consumer, protected from external contamination, and effective in terms of processing, handling, and cost. Proper selection is based on the type of package and material. There are typically three types of packaging used for frozen foods: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary package is in direct contact with the food and the food is kept inside the package up to the time of use. Secondary packaging is a form of multiple packaging used to handle packages together for sale. Tertiary packaging is used for bulk transportation of products.

Packaging materials should be moisture-vapor-proof to prevent evaporation, thus retaining the highest quality in frozen foods. Oxygen should also be completely evacuated from the package using a vacuum or gas-flush system to prevent migration of moisture and oxygen. Glass and rigid plastic are examples of moisture-vapor-proof packaging materials. Many packaging materials, however, are not moisture-vapor-proof, but are sufficiently moisture-vapor-resistant to retain satisfactory quality in foods. Most bags, wrapping materials, and waxed cartons used in freezing packaging are moisture-vapor-resistant. In general, the containers should be leakage free while easy to seal. Durability of the material is another important factor to consider, since the packaging material must not become brittle at low temperatures and crack.

A range of different packaging materials, mainly grouped as rigid and non-rigid containers, can be used for primary packaging. Glass, plastic, tin, and heavily waxed cardboard materials are in the rigid container group and usually used for packaging of liquid food products. Glass containers are mostly used for fruits and vegetables if they are not water-packed. Plastics are the derivatives of the oil-cracking industry. Non-rigid containers include bags and sheets made of moisture-vapor-resistant heavy aluminum foil, polyethylene or laminated papers. Bags are the most commonly used packaging materials for frozen fruits and vegetables due to their flexibility during processing and handling. They can be used with or without outer cardboard cartons to protect against tearing.

Shape and size of the container are also important factors in freezing products. Serving size may vary depending on the type of product and selection should be based on the amount of food determined for one meal. For shape of the container, freezer space must be considered since rigid containers with flat tops and bottoms stack well in the freezer, while round containers waste freezer space.

Frozen storage and distribution

The quality of the final product depends on the history of the raw material. Using the lowest possible temperature is essential for frozen storage, transport, and distribution in achieving a high-quality product, since deteriorative processes are mainly temperature dependent. The lower the product temperature is, the slower the speed of reaction is leading to loss of quality. The temperatures of supply chains in freezing applications from the factory to the retail cabinet should be carefully monitored. The temperature regime covering the freezing process, the cold-store temperatures (£ -18 °C), distribution temperatures (£ -15 °C), and retail display (£ -12 °C) are given as legal standards.