Slurry-Based Frozen Juice Freezing Method
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional freezing methods for liquid foods like juice result in non-uniform freezing, leading to energy inefficiency, prolonged freezing times, and potential spoilage due to differential cooling rates and migration of freeze suppressants, which affect the homogeneity and quality of the final product.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the creation of a food product slurry with a controlled ice fraction and freeze suppressant concentration, which is then frozen within a container, ensuring uniform freezing and reduced energy consumption by maintaining a consistent temperature difference with the slurry temperature, thereby preserving the product's taste, color, and homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid food product is frozen using conventional methods, then the product can be preserved during storage and transportation, but the freezing process is slow (6 days), energy-inefficient, and results in non-uniform freezing causing quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the food product from liquid to slurry (containing ice crystals) before freezing. This parameter change enables the product to freeze more uniformly and quickly because the slurry already has a dispersed ice structure that facilitates even heat distribution during the freezing process, eliminating the long freezing time and quality issues of conventional liquid freezing
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by creating a slurry with controlled ice fraction and uniform freeze suppressant distribution before the actual freezing process. This preliminary slurry preparation ensures that when freezing occurs, the product freezes uniformly and quickly without the quality degradation that would occur if liquid were frozen directly, thus reducing the required freezing time from 6 days to a much shorter duration
2Reliability
If liquid food product is frozen using conventional methods, then the product can be preserved, but the differential cooling rates cause migration of freeze suppressants and non-uniform freezing, affecting product homogeneity and quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state from liquid to slurry, which fundamentally alters the freezing behavior. The slurry's dispersed ice crystal structure creates a matrix that prevents freeze suppressant migration and ensures uniform freezing throughout the product, achieving the desired manufacturing precision and homogeneity that cannot be obtained by freezing liquid directly
Solution Approach 2:
The slurry acts as an intermediary state between liquid and fully frozen solid. This intermediate slurry form with controlled ice fraction serves as a mediator that enables uniform heat distribution and prevents the non-uniform freezing and freeze suppressant migration that occur when liquid is frozen directly, thus achieving the required freezing uniformity
3Reliability
If liquid food product is frozen using conventional methods, then the product can be preserved, but the process is energy-inefficient due to prolonged freezing time and differential cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state parameter to slurry, which dramatically reduces the energy required for freezing. The slurry's pre-formed ice crystal structure allows for rapid and uniform freezing, reducing the freezing time from 6 days to a much shorter duration and eliminating the energy waste associated with differential cooling rates and prolonged freezing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The preliminary creation of slurry with controlled ice fraction and uniform freeze suppressant distribution before freezing prepares the product for efficient energy use during freezing. This preliminary action ensures that the subsequent freezing process is rapid and uniform, minimizing energy consumption by eliminating the need for prolonged freezing and avoiding the energy waste of differential cooling that occurs with liquid freezing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for faster and more energy-efficient freezing of the food product, maintaining its quality and homogeneity, as evidenced by the comparison with conventional methods where the slurry form freezes completely in 2-4 days versus 6 days for liquid juice, with uniform temperature reduction across the container.
Implementation Method 1
freezing the pumpable food product slurry within the container
Implementation Method 2
maintaining a consistent temperature difference with the slurry temperature
Implementation Method 3
the freeze suppressant constituent lowering a freezing temperature of the mixture
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a frozen food product, such as frozen juice, and the method of providing same. This involves cooling the food product, such as a juice, to a slurry temperature within a freezing temperature range for the juice to provide a slurry, the juice slurry comprising a liquid juice component and a frozen juice component; providing the juice slurry to a container; and freezing the juice slurry within the container.