________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How do you help customers decide between cryogenic or mechanical freezing? Both methods have their advantages – it really comes down to the product, the process and the business objective. I encourage customers to start by thinking about the operation they are trying to build, rather than just equipment. This means asking key questions about the nature of the product, demand, available space and infrastructure, the importance of flexibility and the level of investment risk they are prepared to accept.
Mechanical freezing uses refrigerants, such as ammonia, to cool circulating air and remove heat from the product to freeze it. It is best suited to stable, high-volume, long-running lines within existing operating systems. In those cases, the higher capital investment and infrastructure requirements can be justified by the operating profile of the site, while lower recurring running costs can be attractive for long, consistent product lines. Cryogenic freezing works by exposing food directly to an extremely cold cryogenic gas, typically liquid nitrogen, which boils at
10