Klinge blast freezes high-value fish

Klinge blast freezes high-value fish    With its recent acquisition of Norfrig Equipment, York, Pa.-based Klinge Corp. now offers refrigerated containers for blast freezing cargo from -20 to -60 degrees Celsius (-4 to -76 Fahrenheit).
   Klinge's model CBU-30 is used to deep freeze yellowfin tuna, as well as other types of high-value fish.
   'The shift to lower temperature freezing machinery is growing rapidly around the world,' the company said. 'Blast freezing yellowfin tuna and other high-value fish to an ultra-low temperature of -60 C (-76 F) substantially reduces transportation costs as the fish can be transported by containership rather than air freighted.'
   Tests have also shown that shelf life is increased when tuna is frozen to -60 C (-76 F) and thawed, at a time of the customer's choosing, in a controlled environment.
   The CBU-30 is designed for the transportation sector and functions equally well as storage for frozen cargo. The blast freezer ensures full airflow, even in loads with very high cargo internal pressure drops.
   Accompanying the blast freezer is Klinge's Quick Thaw Unit Model QTU-42 (produced by Morep). The unit stores the product at its ideal process temperature with minimal manual operation.
   The QTU-42 has a series of probes that monitor the thawing process by transmitting real-time temperatures to a microprocessor, which is then analyzed. The microprocessor calculates the rate of temperature rise in the cargo and adjusts temperature to provide the thaw rate without surpassing the predetermined core and surface temperatures.
   'This very controlled thawing method optimizes tuna quality by ensuring that the natural red pigmentation of tuna is maintained much longer and that there is minimal drip-loss,' said Henrik Klinge, Klinge's president and chief executive officer. 'Our Quick Thaw Unit saves our customers money as it increases the use of frozen seafood instead of expensive fresh seafood.'