Mechanical Freezing Systems

The term “mechanical refrigeration” generally refers to any system that uses electrical power to produce chilled air. The chilled air is continuously passed over the food product, and in doing so, it removes heat. Mechanical freezing systems are characterized by a large capital investment, a significant ongoing preventive maintenance cost, and a sizeable permanent commitment of plant space. On the other hand, the resulting refrigeration is produced at a fraction of the consumable cost of cryogenic refrigeration. It is widely used technology and present in some form in virtually every food processing plant. In some cases, mechanical refrigeration systems tend to dehydrate, or strip moisture from that product. For some products, this is not an issue. In others, it is a major quality or yield concern.