Here at Frontline Food Consultants and Engineers, as a Frozen Food Consultant, we have a full range of Frozen Fruits and vegetable processing Consulting services. Providing solutions for producing different types of potent frozen fruits and Vegetables. Picking the best quality for your raw materials to freezing methods our company guarantees the most appropriate moisture, taste and nutritional value. Our Freezing Process Optimization Services assist you in deciding which technique shall be used, either IQF or blast freezing to maintain the quality of the produce as well as increase the shelf life. Maintaining product quality and quality through the freezing process is our main concern, thus guaranteeing the consumer top-quality fruits and vegetables.
We also offer you Sustainability and Supply Chain Consulting to offer you options for organic or locally sourced produce and biodegradable packaging. Our R&D team works with you to design new frozen products to meet form and function needs such as blends, pre-packaged mixes, or certain cuts for ease. We make sure that your products especially chemically frozen fruits and vegetables meet the safety standards and labeling procedures through Regulatory Compliance and Food Safety Services. Our Packaging Solutions are designed to eliminate the effects of freezer burn, as well as preservation of quality with the intent of increasing the shelf life of the products while keeping the eye appeal factor in mind.
What is Frozen Fruits & Vegetables?
Frozen fruits and vegetables are prepared by rapidly cooling raw fruits and vegetables to low temperatures to maintain their quality and rather enhance their quality. It starts by using fresh fruits or vegetables where the producer washes, peels and cuts as may be necessary. In preparation for freezing, most vegetables are blanched, a short heat process that destroys enzymes that might otherwise alter the product’s flavor, color, or texture during storage. Vegetables, however, are normally blanched and then quickly frozen in the same solution at very low temperatures since fruits are normally frozen soon after processing without blanching in order to retain their sweetness and texture.
Processing fruits and vegetables into frozen fruits and frozen vegetables demands equipment since it will help in efficiency and in producing quality products. Fruit and vegetable washings and peelings help clean the produce while cutting and slicing machines will make sure that the fruits and vegetables will have equal sizes for freezing. Blanching machines are used to treat the produce prior to freezing so as to maintain color as well as nutrients. IQF freezers or blast freezers give the fruits and vegetables a very rapid freezing process to capture the freshness and relativity of the product. Scales and packing equipment display the quantities of the frozen products, whereas vacuum or tight bags and packing avoid freezer Burnage and contamination. Last, the labeling machine makes sure that the right brand is applied and all regulatory requirements are met.
Categories of Food Processing Frozen Fruits and Vegetable
- Frozen Fruits
Berries
Types:
- Strawberries: Sliced, cut into halves, used in milkshakes, desserts, cakes and other baked foods and confectionery products.
- Blueberries: Whole, incorporated it with muffins and pancakes and blended into smoothies.
- Raspberries: Available fresh or processed, used in gravies, puddings and salads.
- Benefits: A good source of antioxidants, and vitamins and contains low glycemic index fiber. Freezing does not reduce the nutritional value of these fruits, especially berries.
- Applications: As ingredients in breakfast foods, bakery products, desserts, fruit shakes and smoothies, and toppings for cereal and yogurt.
Tropical Fruits
Types:
- Mango: Cubed or sliced, included in smoothies, salads, and even cakes.
- Pineapple: Each slice can be broken into chunks, fried to form rings, and used in tropical drinks, baking, and savored in some dishes.
- Papaya: Cubed, used in smoothies, fruit salads and desserts.
- Benefits: Contain waves of vitamins A and C, and the necessary enzymes for digestion. Tropical fruits are adventurous in taste and color they can lift up meals.
- Applications: Able to be added into smoothies, salads, desserts, soups, and as decorations.
Stone Fruits
Types:
- Peaches: Raw, sliced, diced, used in pies, and cobblers or blended for use in smoothies.
- Cherries: Whole, pitted, utilized in deserts, baking, and preparation of sauces.
- Apricots: Cut into halves or slices; used in cakes, jams, etc.; served in salads.
- Benefits: Rich in vitamins A and C and in dietary fiber. If the stone fruits are frozen, their taste and the quality of their texture does not change.
- Applications: In operations such as baking, confectionery products, sweets, sauces, jellies, and other similar items made from baked foods.
- Frozen Vegetables
Leafy Greens
Types:
- Spinach: Used for decoration and for cooking, including chopped or whole leaves in soups, stews and sautés.
- Kale: Diced and mixed in smoothies and other foods as soups and stews.
- Collard Greens: Whether chopped thinly or cut into cubes, used in some of the southern dishes, or boiled, simmered, or sautéed.
- Benefits: Has vitamins A, C, and potassium and is fiber and vitamin K foods. Another advantage of freezing is that it retains the nutrient content in the food that we consume including the leafy greens.
- Applications: These can be added to fruits/vegetables juices, soups, stews, and dishes which are usually taken together with a staple food, especially in Nigeria.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Types:
- Broccoli: Their florets and stems that are used in soups or as part of casserole or stir fry.
- Cauliflower: Florets as whole enclosed in rice substitutes, soups and some casserole recipes.
- Brussels Sprouts: Sliced in halves or whole for easy roasting, steaming and sauteing.
- Benefits: Dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, antioxidants and low in calories also. Essential nutrients in cruciferous vegetables and their texture are best retained through freezing, other nutrients are also retained mostly.
- Applications: These burn in stir-fry dishes, casseroles, soups and vegetable dishes.
Root Vegetables
Types:
- Carrots: Whether cut into slices or chunks and for use in one-pot meals, on the slice and even in roasting.
- Beets: Sliced or cubed, injections, used in salads, roasting, in smoothies.
- Sweet Potatoes: Whether these be diced or cut in slices, for cakes, soups or stews.
- Benefits: Loaded with vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Freezing is applicable to root vegetables due to the fact that most of its nutrients and intrinsic flavors are retained.
- Applications: To dishes the manner in which vegetables have been incorporated to add to dishes the way vegetables used, soups, stews, roasting and baking.
Legumes
Types:
- Green Beans: Intact, or cubed, and ideal for use in casseroles, soups and stir fry dishes.
- Peas: Whole in soups, casseroles and boiled, served, as an accompaniment, mashed or baked.
- Edamame: Summer or pods and shells; for salads, soups and good for snacking.
- Benefits: High in protein, minerals and vitamins, and contain fibre in a relatively higher percentage. If legumes are frozen they still retain the structure and nutritional profile of those that are fresh.
- Applications: Used in the preparation of soups, and salads and also used in the preparation of casserole dishes and served as a side dish.
- Freezing of fruits and vegetables for export or domestic market production cycle
- Some of the procedures used during the freezing of fruits and vegetables are important as a way of ensuring that they do not spoil shortly after freezing has been done.
Harvesting
- Meat and poultry are fresh and lean, while grains and cereals, fruits and vegetables are selected at their respective optimal level of ripeness.
- Cleaning and Sorting
- The produce is washed in order to ensure that no dirt or any other contamination is on the produce. The harvested foods are then washed, and graded in size, and quality.
- Blanching (for vegetables)
- Vegetables on the other hand are first cooked by boiling and then quickly immersed in cold water to stop. This aids in maintaining their color, texture and nutritional value.
Freezing
- The washed and trimmed fresh produce is then subjected to freezing methods such as flash freezing or IQF or individually quick freezing to preserve the nutrients as well as to avoid big ice formation.
Packaging
- Frozen fruits and vegetables are best packed in air-tight containers or plastic bags to avoid cases of freezing burns or contamination.