When you need to rapidly drop the temperature of food products for packaging, shipment, or storage, rapid-acting freezer systems are a must. Several different setups are available for flash-cooling or flash-freezing. However, the spiral freezer system is considered one of the most efficient models. Take a look at a few questions and answers to introduce you to spiral freezers and how they could benefit your food production business.
How do spiral freezer systems work?
Spiral freezer systems work like tunnel freezers except the belt moves in a vertical, spiral direction until products reach an exit point at the top. These freezer systems can have different types of rapid-cooling technology in place. For example, some freezers simply use refrigeration to rapidly drop food product temperatures while others make use of cryogenic agents to cause flash-freezing.
How much space is required for a spiral freezer system?
Imagine taking a conveyor belt and swirling it around a center point. Then imagine how long that conveyor belt would be if it were to be run straight through the building. Several yards of a belt can be compacted into the spiral setup. Spiral freezer systems are considered a compact alternative to the standard tunnel freezing system used in most food production operations. These freezer systems have a compact footprint and take up more vertical space than horizontal space. The belt runs upward in a spiral direction to maximize the time spent inside the freezer without requiring the food to travel a long horizontal distance.
How do you control how long a product stays in the freezer with a spiral system?
How long food products stay in the freezer is directly controlled by how fast the conveyor belt is moving. Say you are freezing more fragile food products that need to move through the freezer quickly to reduce cold-temperature exposure. In this case, you simply adjust the speed of the conveyor to make sure the food products are in the freezer for the proper amount of time.
How difficult are spiral freezers to install in your facility?
The majority of available spiral freezers have a modular build, which means they are broken down into several parts and easily assembled in a facility. Therefore, as long as you have adequate space available for setup, installing a spiral freezer system should not be a time-consuming process. Further, the systems are so straightforward in their design that you may not need a specialized contractor for installation.
