Blast Freezing for Dairy Products

Blast freezing can be a great way for manufacturers and distributors of dairy products such as butter and cheese, to extend shelf life, reduce food waste, improve operational efficiency and overall cut costs. Blast freezing can help dairy producers maintain product quality and freshness while allowing supply chain flexibility.

The Benefits of Blast Freezing Dairy

Blast freezers can freeze dense dairy products like blocks of cheese or tubs of butter in hours rather than the days required with traditional freezing methods. This rapid freezing is critical for dense dairy items. The rapid freezing rate creates smaller ice crystals that minimise damage to the product’s cell structure.

Dense foods freeze more slowly, allowing large ice crystals to form during slow freezing. These large crystals disrupt the dense structure of dairy products by puncturing cell walls and interacting with proteins and fat globules. This leads to significant texture degradation and moisture loss when the frozen dense dairy item eventually thaws.

Comparatively, the fast-freezing action of blast freezers locks in the smallest ice crystals before they can grow large. The minimised crystal size preserves the original dense texture of frozen dairy products. Items like cheese retain their smooth, consistent body rather than becoming cracked or crumbly after thawing. Frozen butter maintains its spreading ability. The smaller ice crystals also reduce moisture loss during thawing by preventing the leakage of fluids from ruptured cells. For dense dairy foods, rapid blast freezing is essential to maintain quality, appeal, and functionality for manufacturers.

Outsourcing Blast Freezing Services

Partnering with an experienced blast freezing provider like Magnavale offers advantages including:

Cost Savings

From energy usage to maintenance and repairs, owning blast freezers accumulates ongoing costs and liabilities. By outsourcing blast freezing, these costs and operational risks are handled by the provider.

Supply Chain Flexibility

Production and demand fluctuations require freezing capacity adjustments. With outsourcing, utilised capacity can scale up or down as needed, rather than relying on fixed owned equipment.

Expertise

We have experience providing freezing solutions for a range of different food manufacturers, including those of dairy products including cheese, butter, dairy-based desserts and more.

If you are interested in blast freezing solutions or temperature-controlled storage, please enquire below.