Fish and seafood processing stays a significant challenge. Being one of the most perishable food products, and having a large number of nutrients, minerals, fats, and proteins that you would like to keep, as well as a lot of moisture, makes it challenging. Shrimp is notoriously difficult to freeze, given that it is sticky, and starts developing bacterial processes at once if not treated correctly.
One of the best ways of storing shrimp? Freezing. Additionally, to preserve the unique appeal of luxury food, clumps should be avoided. All these factors, and more, are what make IQF the perfect shrimp processing technology.
Here’s why:
Speed
One of the key instruments in achieving the best-frozen shrimp possible is freezing speed. Fresh shrimp tend to go bad very quickly, with any nutrients, or food appeal disappearing with them. That’s why the fastest method of freezing, known as IQF freezing, is preferred. Blasting it with cold air while gently moving the product is what IQF technology is about.
Hygiene
Handling shrimp manually is a risky proposition, given that the introduction of bacteria can have highly damaging effects on the safety of the shrimp. That’s why high-quality IQF shrimp comes with technology to avoid manual handling. For instance, Octofrost’s bedplate technology introduces replaceable bedplates into the process, which limits human interaction as much as possible and increases the level of hygiene significantly.
Optimal freezing time
Unlike cold storage, the IQF process lends itself to easy configuration and management. Shrimp, when frozen for an insufficient time, will only be superficially frozen. However, when left too long, it might become “freezer burnt” which makes it less appealing as a final product. Add to it that cold storage methods typically dry out the product, which extracts moisture and you’ve got a lot of challenges ahead of you.
Meanwhile, IQF technology is quick and precise, meaning you can configure the temperature and automatically process shrimp optimally, improving the quality significantly.
Storage
Storing the shrimp using different methods might require wax-covered cartons, waterproof lining, or further additions before it can be frozen. However, IQF seafood simply needs to be loaded into the processing line, and the equipment handles the rest. It is transported into the freezing tunnel, where it is quickly frozen and the resulting shrimp is well-separated and fully preserves its natural appeal.
No dehydration
OctoFrost IQF Freezer shines in its ability to minimize dehydration and keep all the necessary moisture while avoiding the common pitfalls associated with this process. Dropping the dehydration rate to less than 0,3%, there’s no noticeable difference to the original product while the yield is increased. Processing shrimp in the IQF Freezer leads to a better product as a result. Since IQF shrimp is frozen individually, it can be thawed in just a couple of minutes or cooked directly!
IQF technology supplies new and modern ways of processing shrimp according to your needs! Compared to all other freezing technologies, it presents significant advantages and fixes many issues with other types of processing. Embrace the future and meet customer demands for accessible high-quality seafood today!
