IQF Frost AB, the Malmo, Sweden-headquartered supplier of industrial freezing systems, launched its new OctoFrost™ IQF freezer at the Anuga Foodtec fair in Cologne, Germany, which ran from March 24-27. Reliable and durable, it is especially adept for freezing fruits, vegetables, cheese, seafood, meat and poultry.
The system features a mono-block design and affords easy interior access for reliable and swift cleaning. It has been equipped with air knives that blow high pressure air in the coil during production, a feature that will help keep the coil free from product particles, prevent it from building up snow and optimize run time between defrost. More spray nozzles for warm water have been installed to decrease down time and speed up the cleaning process.
“Every minute saved in decreased down time means more earnings for our customers”, said Rasmus Larsson, the ceo at IQF Frost. “Understanding our customers’ environment plays a key role when working with product development. Our customers should have the highest value of ownership.”
Inside the freezers, patented removable bed plates have been given a new click design that will significantly decrease handling time for for processors. Furthermore, energy-friendly LED lights have been installed to improve cleaning inside the freezer.
The OctoFrost’s octagonal design and aerodynamics is optimized for high capacity per hour, yet is sustainable with usually more than 10% less energy consumption then similar products on the market. A dry air infusion system has been installed in the operating panel, lights and motors, eliminating the challenge that many food producers face of condensation, due to the variation of temperature in the freezer. Additionally, the freezer has been reinforced with stronger fins in the coil and an anti-slip shockproof floor.
A known problem in the industry is the challenge of quick freezing sticky products, as often they come out in lumps, which decreases value. A solution to this challenge is a combination of vibrating product beds and a pulsator. The pulsator in the OctoFrost uses the fan’s capacity to pulse the air in a much more efficient way to separate fruit dices.
In business since 1999, IQF Frost has installed close to 200 made-in-Sweden systems worldwide during that time. Beginning April 1, the company will change its name to OctoFrost AB, and the ProFrost AB service organization will operate as OctoFrost Technology. Both will be part of OctoFrost Group, headed up by the existing owner and executive structure.
