The freezer employs existing impingement freezing, which is used to freeze flat products such as burgers as well as crust freeze items such as some types of confectionery for further processing.
The company already offers a combination of impingement freezing and tunnel freezing to deliver quality frozen fruit inclusions for cakes and tortes and a smooth finish to chocolate bars.
Its new HVF units use high velocity air jets to freeze product more quickly by breaking its insulation boundary layer, allowing the surface to be frozen very quickly. As a result, food has less chance to dehydrate, so product quality is improved, according to GEA.
More capacity, higher yield
In addition, the company claims the units have 10-15% more capacity than existing impingement freezers, have a higher yield and can extend the shelf life of products.
“GEA brought plenty of time and development work for improving the freezing dynamics to produce better results, increasing yield and allowing for faster and more complete freezing while using less energy,” said Robert Laflamme, president of GEA Refrigeration Canada.
“We’ve taken the impingement concept to a new level of quality and performance, while also incorporating GEA’s trademark hygienic features, including fully welded seams, sloped floor, and more.”
GEA is showcasing the products at the International Poultry Expo trade show in Atlanta in the US, which runs from January 29-31.