PRESS RELEASE
October 23, 1995
New pre-freezing technology
provides better food products

By pre-freezing the bottom surface of wet and sticky food products efficiently before they enter the final freezer, the most common problems associated with today’s freezing lines can be avoided. According to the manufacturer, the pre-freezer eliminates problems like belt mesh marks on the products, sticking and bending and, thereby, financial losses.
The new Aga Freeze F is reported to be well suited for food products such as marinated chicken fillets, fish fillets, vegetable blocks, extruded products and pasta.

The freezer utilises a super-cold stainless steel belt, on which the food products are loaded. Heat from the bottom surface is very quickly transferred to the belt and the underside freezes instantly. The food portions do not stick to the belt, because the rapid freezing process simultaneously shrinks the surface. Losses due to adherence to the belt are thereby eliminated. The steel belt provides the food products with a smooth bottom surface free from mesh marks.
In the final spiral freezer, the stiff bottom surface prevents bending. The degree of freezing required for variable-sized food products is controlled by varying the retention time in the freezer.
The patented freezing technique demands a direct contact between the low temperature metal surface and the product. The freezer uses a bath of liquid nitrogen through which the metal conveyor rotates. In addition, nitrogen is sprayed directly onto the bottom side of the conveyor belt immediately before it reaches the load zone. The control system includes a temperature controller operating a valve for the nitrogen supply.
According to manufacturer AGA, special attention has been paid to easy use of the freezer. The side-mounted control panel features clearly defined, easy-to-use switches, an automatic gas-supply controller and a temperature indicator. There is no need for manual control by the operator during the production process.
The freezer can easily be opened for cleaning and inspection simply by raising the top cover and the complete conveyor assembly, which gives full access to all parts of the freezing section. Together with the all-stainless-steel design this ensures that the freezer satisfies the highest hygiene requirements of the food industry, they say.
Up to now, the freezer has been tested for pre-freezing standard food products. According to the manufacturer, however, there are numerous prospects for other applications such as, for example, the preparation of convenience foods, and the portioning of sauces, ice-cream, etc. directly onto the freezer belt. The new process offers potential to reduce the use of packaging materials in the final products.
The AGA Freeze F pre-freezers are manufactured in three standard sizes with net belt widths of 332, 672 and 832 mm./ins


Captions:

(1) The chicken fillets conveying into the finalising freezer are neither mesh-marked or otherwise damaged, which usually is the case when using conventional technology without pre-freezing.

(2) Marinated chicken fillets are loaded onto the Aga Freeze F. According to the manufacturer, there are numerous prospects for other applications such as the preparation of convenience foods, and the portioning of sauces, ice-cream, etc. directly onto the freezer belt.


For further information, please contact:

(see enclosed list of representatives)











N.B.: This text is available on 3.5" disk (Word 5.1a) formatted for Macintosh or PC.
AGA FREEZE F - LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES

FRANCE
AGA s.a., Procédé Agro-Alimentaires
Rémy Venesi, Ingénieur E.N.S.I.A.
140 avenue Paul-Doumer
F-92506 Rueil-Malmaison
Tel: 1 47 14 20 80; Fax: 1 47 08 68 33

GERMANY
AGA Gas GmbH
Gerd Schneidereit, Leiter Anwendungstechnik
Treplowitzstraße 5
D-22529 Hamburg
Tel. 040 - 421 05-283; Fax. 040 - 421 05-342

SWEDEN
AGA Gas AB
Peter Hedin
S-172 82 SUNDBYBERG
Tel: 08-706 95 00; Fax: 08-733 98 08

BRAZIL
AGA S.A.
Ricardo Galvão Elias de Godoy
Coordenador de Processos de Alimentos
Alameda Amazonas, 868, Alphaville
08454-070 - Barueri - SP
Tel: (011) 421-3234; Fax: (011) 421-3536

Celmira Figueiredo
Gte. de Comunicação
AGA S.A.
Fone: (021) 295-9432; Fax: (021) 275-0896

CHILE
AGA Chile S.A.
Renato Alvarez, Ingeniero de Procesos
Casilla 16953
Santiago 9, Chile
Paseo Pdte. Errázuriz E. 2631
Tel: 232 8711; Fax: 231 8009 - Cód. Int.: 56-2
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FINLAND
Oy AGA Ab, Business Area Food
Harri Saviranta, Business Unit Manager, Freezing & Cooling
Karapellontie 2
FIN-02610 Espoo, Finland
Tel: +358 0 591 6512; Fax: +358 0 591 6311