Apr . 28, 2024 11:31 Back to list

WHAT IS INDIVIDUAL QUICK FREEZING(IQF) AND HOW DOES IT WORK? iqf freezer

Looking for superior and quicker food freezing technology for your business? Your search may end with IQF or individual quick freezing! It is a known fact that fresh produce, be it fruits, vegetables, seafood, or meat products, loose freshness over a period of time due to oxidation and microorganism growth/activity. Standard refrigeration systems do not prove efficient here.

Stainless Belt Quick Freezer

Frozen food items have excellent quality and nutritive value. In fact in many cases, especially for green peas and sweet corn, the frozen item may have a superior taste to the fresh produce. IQF frozen fruits and vegetables appeal to businesses because of their sought-after appearance, flavour and nutrition similar to that of fresh produce. Individual quick freezing makes it possible for businesses to offer ‘freshly picked’ produce to today’s busy consumers in convenient packaging throughout the year.

Let us get into details to understand individual quick freezing.

What Is IQF?

Individual quick freezing is a special freezing method in which each and every product is frozen individually, even if multiple product types are frozen in the same area. For instance, every pea or each corn kennel is individually frozen completely and they do not lump together like a single block of ice. Instead, all products are separate from each other.

IQF frozen peas

IQF is usually performed using blast freezers and is primarily used for products such as berries, peaches, french fries, chicken, shrimps, salmon, peas, corn, fish, etc.

What Makes Individual Quick Freezing Attractive to Businesses?

Here are some of the benefits of individual quick freezing.

Faster: As the name suggests, individual quick freezing is faster. This means the freezing time is shorter which prevents the formation of large ice crystals inside the fruit or vegetable cells. In fact, ice crystals that are formed due to slower methods of freezing are larger in size and can do cellular damage, affecting the texture, flavour and quality of the products.
Efficient: IQF delivers maximum uptime, meets or exceeds your hygiene needs, and makes processing easier and power efficient.
Avoids food wastage: Since each product is frozen individually and items do not cohere, consumers can take out the portion conveniently that needs to be frozen. This means no leftovers and food wastage.
Reduces packaging: In many cases, producers package pieces separately to avoid clumping or sticking together. It is not only time-consuming and costly but also an environmental hazard. Individually quick frozen products on the other hand can be packaged together.

How Does Individual Quick Freezing Work

Here’s what you need to know about the working principle of individual quick freezing.

IQF involves ultra-quick freezing, i.e. the products are frozen quickly at very low temperatures for terminating the microbial activity that can lead to food spoilage. In this technology, each piece is frozen using a fluidization method in which the product is in high-velocity air. This freezes the product within a few minutes instead of three to four hours. Controlled turbulence at the start of the freezing process speeds up heat transfer and ensures fast, gentle crust freezing when the food product is most fragile. Crust freezing locks in product moisture before the final core freezing, as well as preserves product weight, appearance and quality. A unique thumbing system in the pre-cooling section avoids the lumping of pieces being frozen.

Mechanical vs Cryogenic IQF: The Individual Quick Freeze Guide for Food Processors iqf freezer

What is IQF and how does it work iqf freezer