IQF stands for Individually Quick Frozen. The individually quick frozen (IQF) method is used in the food processing industry to quickly freeze individual food products. The method is also called  flash-freezing as food is frozen so quickly either through direct contact with liquid nitrogen at −196 °C or by applying cryogenic temperatures. The speed of the temperature transference inhibits  large ice crystal formation in the product’s cells and thus prevents damage to the cell membrane. The quality of the original product is thus maintained as the method keeps the shape, taste, color, smell and texture intact for defrosting. A single item is individually frozen in a way that prevents it from adhering to other products and makes it easy to pack into different types of bags and consumer packaging.

There are mainly two types of IQF freezers used in the process of individually quick freezing food products: spiral freezers and tunnel freezers. Both types of freezers use a continuous movement of product through a freezing enclosure to quickly freeze it.
Spiral freezer—Spiral freezers can be either mechanical or cryogenic. The product to be frozen is moved on a spiral conveyor inside an insulated freezing enclosure.
Tunnel freezer—Tunnel freezers can be either mechanical or cryogenic. The product to be frozen is moved on a linear conveyor through an insulated freezing tunnel.
Cryogenic freezing methods are usually cheaper in the beginning as but have higher long term operating cost due to the price of cryogenic gas like liquid nitrogen. It is suitable for smaller operations, new product development seasonal production or production overflow.
Mechanical freezing is a mechanical refrigeration cycle that uses refrigerants like ammonia or carbon dioxide to freeze products. It is more suitable for long term, steady production of high volumes.
The difference between a spiral and tunnel freezer lies mainly in footprint and belt structure. Usually both regular spiral and tunnel freezers need separate crust freezers before individual products can enter the freezing spiral or tunnel for full freezing. Skaginn 3X’s IQF Tunnel Freezer has a built in crust freezing belt that is not only a part of the set up but also a patented solution that can crust freeze product up to 40% faster than regular crust freezers.

The TCAB crust freezing belt is a Teflon coated anodized aluminum belt that has a patented shape that prevents marks being left on the bottom of the product. The durable Teflon coating combines extremely fast freezing with a non-stick surface. The specially designed Skaginn 3X crust freezing belt has extremely high heat transfer which quickly drains heat from the product acting remarkably similar to liquid nitrogen freezers but with a fraction of the running cost. The smooth completely flat nonstick surface of the TCAB belt leaves almost no visible belt marks on the product.

There are many options out there to meet vastly different needs. If you are looking for an efficient solution that is fast, has a flexible application and delivers product of high quality, Skaginn 3X’s IQF freezers are more than worth your time. The freezers offer a unique two-in-one set up with a patented crust.