Conquering the frozen berries market with the best IQF technology

Conquering the frozen berries market with the best IQF technology

oct. 04, 2021

Established in 1999, OctoFrost company has come a long way in the frozen food processing industry by listening to its customers’ needs and working together with experts in the food industry. As a key player, OctoFrost manufactures and offers equipment for the thermal treatment of food products such as blanching, cooking, chilling and IQF freezing.

Starting the IQF journey

Individually quick frozen or IQF technology has been continuously developing since the 1960s. IQF involves freezing each individual item of product separate from each other with the help of cold air streams. This type of freezing is much quicker and results in higher product quality when compared to traditional cold storage.

“The OctoFrost company has significantly innovated the existing IQF technologies.”

For the berry processors, OctoFrost offers IQF Freezers and Chillers, which can together increase freezer capacity and achieve high-quality freezing.

Watch this video for a 3D demonstration of the machines.

Meeting the growing demand for IQF Berries

Due to their nutritional and immunity-boosting benefits, IQF berries are increasingly growing in demand. This spur in demand has also shifted focus on high quality and food safety as required by global traders. OctoFrost kept these needs in mind while designing the IQF Freezer and IF Chiller.

“All these features, help IQF berries processors look appealing to the Western buyers who search for high quality and food safe IQF products.”

The OctoFrost tunnel freezer comes with rounded corners, sloping surfaces, and exchangeable bedplates that can be easily cleaned outside the freezer, supporting continuous production even when switching between different batches of products. The free-standing monoblock housing unit allows easy cleaning under the freezer as well.

 

High automation equals minimal manpower

Among the unique benefits of the OctoFrost equipment is high automation, which significantly reduces the need for manpower. The latest innovative OctoFrost bedplates only need 1 person for bedplate handling (changing and cleaning), with no downtime to the production process.

“In our previous mesh tunnels, we got mesh marks on the products which were mistreated, leading to high losses. Now with the OctoFrost bedplates, it only takes 5 minutes to change them and be up and running.” OctoFrost Customer

In addition to food safety, the upgraded bedplates are cutting manpower costs, increasing yield, and making the process more efficient.

Watch this video to see how easy to handle the OctoFrost Half Size Bedplates are.

Faster chilling and reduced water waste


Because of the water recirculation and filtration system, the OctoFrost™ IF Chiller uses up to 90% less water than other water chilling systems. The unique filtration system is achieving top sanitary results by providing completely clean and safe filtered water. Moreover, the water in the whole IF Chiller, including the Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) and water filter, remains below the critical 6°C to guarantee food safety. This means that the chiller can run non-stop without the need for changing the water until the end of the production day.

The rainshower and cross-flow water systems together with impingement technology lead to faster heat transfer, translating into less energy consumption per kg of product.

The heat recovery section at the beginning of the OctoFrost Chiller is adding up to the energy efficiency of the whole system.

Energy efficiency to minimize operational costs

Energy efficiency is one of the core focal points of the OctoFrost Freezer, which offers the lowest energy consumption (20-30% less than traditional) due to the adjustable fan speed in its IQF freezers. For some light products, the speed does not exceed 30%.

The unique aerodynamics in the freezer end up in an easy-to-sell premium IQF product and the lowest operational costs.

These features provide an advantage to food processors in terms of lower production costs, higher profitability, and increased sustainability.

Spreading knowledge through OctoFrost Link

Established in 2017, the OctoFrost Link is a global forum that connects food processors who are using OctoFrost equipment with traders in the food industry. It is a gateway to global buyers of high quality IQF products. Membership is free for all of the OctoFrost customers, who can readily access a bank of 200 traders worldwide across a variety of applications, such as IQF berries, IQF Vegetables, and many more. Learn more about OctoFrost Link here.

We walk the path together with you

OctoFrost offers complete installation as well as staff training to its customers and partners, continuously consulting with them to maximize their profits. All the accumulated expertise and knowledge is used to help processors grow their business.

For more information, connect with our experts at www.octofrost.com