In the US a BOC cryogenic impingement freezer is helping a hamburger manufacturer in St. Louis, Missouri to increase yield, reduce nitrogen consumption and save money, after adding it was added to a processing line.
Holten Meats had wanted to reduce dehydration and free up floor space to make room for packaging equipment, so the company turned to BOC for an answer.
Tim Lupton, vice president of operations, Holten Meats, said, "The BOC impingement freezer really filled the niche we'd had. Its production capacity, smaller footprint and overall performance have been outstanding, and it has met all our needs."BOC is the first and only company to offer a cryogenic impingement freezer, which delivers the meat industry's highest freezing efficiency, resulting in a consistent, uniform freeze that locks in moisture, resulting in higher yield.
The freezer is best suited to products with high surface-to-weight ratios, such as hamburger patties, sandwich steaks and bacon. It can also be used to quickly crust-freeze thicker products, such as pork chops.
"Dehydration loss from the cryogenic impingement freezer is typically some three to five times lower than conventional cryogenic freezers and up to ten times better than mechanical freezers. Plus, it allows customers to reduce their overall nitrogen consumption between 10 and 25 percent, depending on the application," said Mike Newman, manager of equipment development, food solutions group, BOC.
Because the impingement freezer runs at a colder temperature than a mechanical freezer, food producers can achieve higher production rates in smaller floor space. Additionally, the freezer's modular design allows ten-foot-long sections to be assembled to fulfil a precise requirements, up to a maximum of 50 feet in length.
The BOC Group, the worldwide industrial gases, vacuum technologies and distribution services company, serves two million customers in more than 50 countries. It employs some 43,000 people and had annual sales of over $6 billion (€6.5bn) in 2001.