About our technology
Extra Syria have experience in advanced design of precooling systems and post harvest handling solutions that can extend shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
Extra refrigeration is based on providing fast ,economical precooling systems that continually ensure excellent arrivals,long shelf life,satisfied customers and increased profits for the fruit ,vegetable and frozen meat.
The frozen food industry: Is highly based in modern science and technology.
Starting with the first historical development in cooling preservation of food.
Today a combination of several factors influences the commercialization and usage of freezing technology.
Liquid ice for vegetables Quickly precooling vegetables is critical to maintaining freshness.
TRJ's patented Posi-Jector Liquid Ice Injection System is another type of precooling system offered for any vegetables requiring ice.
Industrial ice is conveyed into the mixing chamber, mixed with water to form slurry, sometimes referred to as slush ice, and then positively injected into closed cartons of any ice tolerant vegetables.
This icing method is up to 1000% faster than manual shoveling of ice, a huge labor and cost saving feature.
TRJ offers a complete line of ice makers, ice rakes, ice storage, modular ice plants, portable ice plants and other precooling systems to fully complement any Liquid Ice system.
Extra's freezing process
1-Freezing is one of the oldest and most widely used methods of food preservation, which allows preservation of taste, and nutritional value in foods better than any other method. The freezing process is a combination of the beneficial effects of low temperatures at which microorganisms cannot grow, chemical reactions are reduced, and cellular metabolic reactions are delayed.
2-Freezing preservation retains the quality of agricultural products over long storage periods. As a method of long-term preservation for fruits and vegetables, freezing is generally regarded as superior to canning and dehydration, with respect to retention in sensory attributes and nutritive properties. The safety and nutrition quality of frozen products are emphasized when high quality raw materials are used, good manufacturing practices are employed in the preservation process, and the products are kept in accordance with specified temperatures.
Our freezing process mechanism
1-Freezing has been successfully employed for the long-term preservation of many foods, providing a significantly
extended shelf life. The process involves lowering the product temperature generally to -18C or below (Fennema et al., 1973). The physical state of food material is changed when energy is removed by cooling below freezing temperature. The extreme cold simply retards the growth of microorganisms and slows down the chemical changes that affect quality or cause food to spoil.
2-Competing with new technologies of minimal processing of food, industrial freezing is the most satisfactory method for preserving quality during long storage periods. When compared in terms of energy use, cost, and product quality, freezing requires the shortest processing time. Any other conventional method of preservation focused on fruits and vegetables, including dehydration and canning, requires less energy when compared with energy consumption in the freezing process and storage. However, when the overall cost is estimated, freezing costs can be kept as low as any other method of food preservation.
Extra's freezing process
The freezing process mainly consists of thermodynamic and kinetic factors, which can dominate each other at
particular stage in the freezing process. Major thermal events are accompanied by reduction in heat content of the material during the freezing process. The material to be frozen first cools down to the temperature at which nucleation starts. Before ice can from, a nucleus, or a seed, is required upon which the crystal appears in the solution, a phase change occurs from liquid with further crystal growth. Therefore, nucleation serves as the initial process of freezing, and can be considered as the critical step that results in a complete phase change.
Now a days:
In recent years, due to the changing consumer profile, the frozen food industry has changed significantly. The major trend in consumer behavior documented over the last half century has been the increase in the number of working women and the decline in the family size. These two factors resulted in a reduction in time spent preparing food. The entry of more women into the workforce also led to improvements in kitchen appliances and increased the variability of ready-to-eat or frozen foods available in the market. Besides, the increased usage of microwave ovens, affecting food habits in general and the frozen food market in particular, as well as allowing rabid preparation of meals and greater flexibility in meal preparation. The frozen food industry is now only limited by imagination, an output of which increases continuously to supply the increasing demand for frozen products and variability.
Commercialization history of frozen fruits is older than frozen vegetables. The main advantage of freezing
preservation of fruits is the extended usage of frozen fruits during off-season. Additionally, frozen fruits can be transported to remote markets that could not be accessed with fresh fruit. Also, freezing preservation makes year-round further processing of fruit products possible, such as jams, juice, and syrups from frozen whole fruit, slices, or pulps. In summary, the preservation of fruits by freezing has clearly become on the most important preservation methods.
Future trends in freezing technology
1-The frozen food industry is highly based in modern science and technology. Starting with the first historical development in freezing preservation of foods, today, a combination of several factors influences the commercialization and usage of freezing technology. The future growth of frozen foods will mostly be affected by economical and technological factors. Growth in population, personal incomes, relative cost of other forms of foods, changes in tastes and preferences, and technological advances in freezing methods are some of the factors concerned with the future of freezing technology.
2-Population growth and increasing demand for food has generated the need for commercial production of food commodities in large-scale operations. Thus, availability of proper equipment suitable for continuous processing would be valuable for freezing preservation methods. In addition depending on personal incomes, relative cost of frozen products is one of the most important of economical factors. Producing the highest quality at the lowest cost possible is highly dependent on the technology used. As a result, developments in freezing technology in recent years have mostly been characterized by the improvements in mechanical handling and process control to increase freezing rate and reduce cost (George, 1993)
3-Today an increasing demand for frozen foods already exits and further expansion of the industry is primarily dependent on the ability of food processors to develop higher qualities in both process techniques and products. Improvements can only be achieved by focusing on new technologies and investigating poorly understood factors that influence the quality of frozen food products. Improvements in new and convenient forms of food, as well as more information on relative cost and nutritive values of frozen foods, will contribute toward continued growth of the industry.
packaging
There are several factors to consider in packaging frozen vegetables, which include protection from atmospheric
oxygen, prevention of moisture loss, retention of flavor, and rate of heat transfer through the package. There are two basic packing methods recommended for frozen vegetables and fruits: dry pack and tray pack.
In the dry pack methods, the blanched and drained vegetables and fruits are put into meal-sized freezer bags and packed tightly to cut down on the amount of air in the package. Proper headspace (approximately 2 cm) is left at the top of rigid containers is not necessary for foods such as broccoli, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts, as they do not pack tightly in containers.
In the tray pack methods, chilled, well-drained vegetables are placed in a single layer on shallow trays or pans. Trays are placed in a freezer until the vegetables and fruits become firm, then removed. Vegetables are filled into containers. Tray-packed foods do not freeze in a block but remain loosely distributed so that the amount needed can be poured from the container and the package reclosed.
Our plant is
Free from objectionable odours, smoke, flies, ash, and dust or other sources of contamination shall be considered in choosing the location for the food processing plant.
Completely separate from areas used as living or sleeping quarters by solid partitions with no connecting opening.
Arranged flowing products on plant without backtracking, from the time raw materials are received until the frozen, packaged article is shipped from the plant.
Raw material storage rooms and areas where pre-freezing operations (e.g.,washing and peeling of fruits and vegetables, and preparation of meats) are separated from rooms or areas where frozen food is formulated, processed, and packaged.
Doors connecting various rooms are tight-fitted, solid, and kept in a closed position by self-closing devices.
Facilities for efficient quick-freezing of the product are provided and conveniently located near the food processing and packaging department.
This wast storage room is sufficient size to permit proper storage.
Packaging and labeling materials are stored in separately enclosed space convenient to the packaging department.
Employees are not be permitted to eat in food processing or packaging areas. Well located properly ventilated dressing rooms and toilet rooms of ampl size with self-closing doors are provided for employees.
