Traditionally, chilling and freezing have been labor and energy intensive processes, yet they are critical to producing consistent, high-quality products and brands. Freezing processes often receive first attention because of their operating costs and power consumption, but choices about chilling processes can be equally important.
While prepared food operations have traditionally relied on mechanical systems to freeze or chill, meat, poultry and seafood processing operations typically chill with ice or dry ice, often in totes, combo bins or mixers. Cryogenic chilling solutions, which typically use carbon dioxide (CO2) snow and liquid nitrogen (LIN), can offer a valuable labor- and power-conserving option that can also improve quality. Chilling during mixing, blending, conveying and packaging operations are usually ripe for improvement and technology upgrades.