The fundamental principles of mechanical freezing were established over 100 years ago. However, over the last century, freezing technology has been constantly evolving, with significant innovations in terms of components, materials and operating systems. Today, the OctoFrost IQF tunnel freezer represents the peak of the evolution of freezing technology, being used by frozen food processors all over the world, due to its innovative design and intelligent system control which ensure the highest standards of food safety and energy efficiency.
Compared to traditional methods of freezing, the IQF technology of OctoFrost has a major asset: the high air velocity systems that ensure optimal results in quick freeing small, flat and unpackaged foods such as vegetables, fruit, seafood, meat and even pasta and cheese. The high air velocity creates a cold air stream that suspends the product and maintains a perfect separation, while avoiding lumps or blocks formation.
The conveyor belt, manufactured from food grade premium plastic, is another benefit the OctoFrost IQF freezer has to offer, especially when it comes to wet and sticky food products, such as mango or strawberries. Thanks to an automatic Clean in Place system, hygienization is no longer a difficult process.
IQF technology is more environmental-friendly than conventional freezing technologies. Using natural gasses like ammonia as a refrigerant, the OctoFrost IQF freezer has a significantly decreased impact on the ozone layer, thus being more energy and cost efficient. In addition, with the help of innovative and advanced technology features, the energy consumption can be adjusted with precision, depending on the product's characteristics.
Every frozen food processors has two main priorities: high quality and reliable food safety. With the help of the OctoFrost IQF tunnel freezer, these objectives can be easily achieved, with numerous other extra benefits: natural color, shape, taste and texture.
The advanced technical features of OctoFrost are one of the latest innovations in IQF technology, as it can individually quick freeze volumes between 500-15000 kg/h, obtaining excellent results even in the case of delicate products, such as broccoli and blueberries.
Unlike products frozen using traditional freezing equipment, every product that enters the OctoFrost IF tunnel freezer keeps its natural color and shape, due to a transparent and thin coat of ice which protects the product's surface, preserves its original characteristics and prolongs its shelf life.
The OctoFrost IQF tunnel freezer is designed as one hermetic unit that ensures minimum dehydration and prevents the risk of lump formation, while also maximizing the total yield. A higher yield means a greater quantity of high quality IQF products at a relatively low energy power consumption. The IQF technology of OctoFrost freezer boosts yield with at least 1,5 to 3%, while its unique air flow pressure ratios minimize product dehydration and maintain the snow formation level below 0,5%.