FISH FREEZING

VIPUL GUPTA
Asstt. Prof.
Fish Processing Technology
College of Fisheries
G.B.P.U.A. & T., Pantnagar
• Fish is a highly perishable commodity & spoilage of fish begins as soon as fish dies.
• In tropical conditions, fish spoils quite rapidly i.e. within few hours of landing if not
properly cooled.
• The spoilage rate can be reduced by good handling practices and effective
temperature control from the very beginning.
• Increasing the temperature from 0o to 5oC doubles the spoilage rate.
• In raw fish spoilage takes place mainly due to three reasons
• Enzymatic action
• Microbial action
• Chemical action – oxidation of fish lipids
• Enzymes and bacteria do not cause any deterioration in living cell because of the
natural defensive mechanism but in dead fish enzyme are responsible in autolytic
changes. Fish gut is rich in proteolytic enzymes and in dead fish it digest the gut and
belly region and making fish very soft.
• Bacteria present on the surface, gills & gut of fish invade the dead fish and
decompose the tissue resulting in undesirable changes e.g. off odour, off flavour,
slime production, gas production, discoloration, soft texture etc.
• Enzymes are protein catalysts which can change the substances without being
changed. They are also able to continue working even after death. This process by
which postmortem changes take place due to the action of intrinsic enzymes, is
called autolysis or self digestion
Autolytic spoilage which causes due to enzymatic action
• First enzymatic changes in fish muscle is hydrolysis of glycogen to lactic acid –
called glycolysis. As Lactic acid accumulates pH falls down which accomplished
by the natural post-mortem, stiffening of body called rigor mortis. Rigor mortis
begins from 0-8 hrs after death and last up to 10-120 hrs. depending on the
exhaustion, temperature, handling (physical damage), size of fish etc. e.g. rigor
mortis is very rapid in active fish.
• Nucleotide degradation – causes flavour change
Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP)
Adenosine Di Phosphate (ADP)
Adenosine Mono Phosphate (AMP)
Inosine Mono Phosphate (IMP) In fresh fish gives characteristic fish flavour
Inosine
Ribose
Hypoxanthine – Bitter taste
• Belly Bursting
If large content of enzyme in digestive tract – gut is dissolved and
bacteria proliferate and produce gases like CO2, H2 which leads to belly bursting
• Colour changes
1. Fat oxidation and 2. Pigment formation
Refrigeration:
Refrigeration is the technique of producing cold
and removing heat from the substance or source and
lowering its temperature below those of the immediate
surroundings.
Refrigerant:
Refrigerant is the volatile liquid substance which
boils under pressure and absorbs heat from the
surrounding objects. They have low boiling points and
high latent heats of evaporation. e.g. CO2, SO2, Methyl
bromide, Ammonia (R-717), Chloro Fluoro Carbons
(CFC or R-12), Hydro Chloro Fluoro carbon (HCFC or R-
Simple
2) etc. Refrigeration System:
Refrigeration is accomplished by the evaporation
of a liquid refrigerant thereby extracting heat from the
medium to be cooled.
Refrigeration Cycle:
It involves the steps to remove heat from the
evaporating refrigerant by again converting it into the
liquid state in order that it may be used repeatedly in a
continuous process. For this it is necessary that the gas
be compressed, permitting condensation at the normal
temperatures. This is done by compressors requiring
mechanical energy.
It consists of –
1. Compressor
2. Condenser
3. Receiver
4. Expansion or regulator valve
5. Evaporator
Receiver:
It is a container containing the refrigerant maintained as
a liquid under high pressure. It receive the refrigerant
from the condenser.
Expansion Valve:
It maintains the necessary pressure difference
corresponding to the required difference of temperature
between condenser and evaporator. It regulates the flow
of liquid refrigerant.
Evaporator:
Due to fall in pressure liquid refrigerant starts
evaporating by taking up the latent heat from the
surroundings of the vapours and leaves the evaporator in
vapour form.
Compressor:
The vapour coming out of the evaporator is compressed
under pressure. The compressor is normally driven by
electric motor.
Condenser:
VAPOUR-COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
 Freezing of fish and
Biochemical changes during freezing
• Freezing is one of the best methods of fish preservation. It gives
long term preservation with the quality almost near to fresh
product.
• Fish contains about 75-80% by weight of water. The process of
freezing converts most of the water into ice.
• At normal atmospheric pressure, pure water will change from
liquid to solid (ice) at 0oC i.e. it will freeze.
• Water in fish contains several dissolved and colloidal
substances like sugars, salts etc. whereas proteins are present
in colloidal suspension. These all depress the freezing point
below 0°C and the extent of depression of freezing point is
proportional to the concentration of the solute.
• About 75-80% of the water is frozen between -1°C to -5°C. This
temperature range is known as the critical zone or freezing zone.
• During freezing, water gradually converted to ice and the
concentration of dissolved organic and inorganic salts
increases, depressing the freezing point continuously.
• Even at a temperature of -25°C only 90-95% of water is actually
frozen. Remaining unfrozen water is called bound water as it is
bound to the carbonyl and amino groups of proteins.
• In order to change the water from liquid to solid (freezing)
energy or latent heat has to be removed from the muscle.
• To lower the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1oC at
temperature above 0oC, 4.2 joule of heat needs to be removed.
This is known as specific heat.
• To change liquid water at 0oC to solid ice, 334.7 joule must be
removed from each gram of water. This is know as latent heat.
1 calorie = 4.184 ≈ 4.2 joules
• Specific heat of liquid water = 4.2 joule or 1 calorie
• Latent heat of fusion for water = 334.7 joule or 80 calories
(80 times higher)
• Specific heat of ice = 2.1 joule or ½ calorie
• During freezing the temperature falls rapidly to below 0°C and
then falls very slowly until most of the water is changed to ice.
Further the temperature drops quickly. Since spoilage
continues at temperatures just below 0°C, it is important to
pass the critical zone quickly.
 TYPICAL FISH FREEZING CURVE
Temperature

Freezing Time
The temperature profile of freezing fish is divided into three
stages:-
Stage 1
The temperature falls rapidly up to just below 0oC while
the specific heat of water is being removed. In many cases
some super cooling occurs.
Stage 2
The temperature remains more or less constant at about
– 1OC to – 5OC while the latent heat is being removed and
liquid water is changing to ice, this is known as the thermal
arrest period or zone of maximum crystallization. In this stage
bulk of water changes to ice
Stage 3
During this stage temperature drops rapidly again while
the specific heat of ice is being removed and most of the
remaining water freezes.
Super cooling is a condition attained by a liquid where its
temperature falls below its freezing point without crystallization
taking place.
 Temperature % water frozen
- 1OC Crystallization begins
- 3OC 70 % water frozen max. water freezes
- 5OC 80 % water frozen
- 25OC about 90 % water frozen
- 50OC to - 60OC almost all water frozen
• Freezing process – Heat is transferred from one medium to another
medium
• Heat is removed from the product – by conduction and by convection
• Heat is transferred from the center of the product to its outside
surface - by conduction
• Heat transfer from the outside surface to the cooling medium –
by convection or radiation
Freezing point :
Freezing point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapour
pressure is in equilibrium with that of the solid.
Freezing begins in the fish usually at – 1oC to – 2oC
Eutectic or Cryohydric temperature:
The highest temperature at which maximum solidification of the system
can be achieved. It vary widely depending on the solutes involved.
• About 90 % of bacteria present in the fish are destroyed during
freezing as they belongs to the mesophilic group. The
psychrophilic bacteria remain inactive as long as fish is in frozen
condition because of low temperature and non availability of free
water for their activity. The activity of the enzymes is considerably
retarded at frozen temperature.
Bacteria: Optimum temp. for growth
Psycrophillic 13 to 15oC ( -15 to + 10oC)
Mesophillic 30 to 40oC ( +10 to + 50oC)
Thermophillic 55oC ( +50 to + 90oC)
Effect of temperature on fish spoilage
A drop in temperature of 5oC can half the rate of spoilage
Reduction in temp. Rate of spoilage Extension of shelf life
0 100 -
5 50 x2
10 25 x4
15 12.5 x8
20 6.25 x 16
Freezing Rate:-
Rate of freezing is faster near the surface and slower in the
centre. Freezing rate depends on various factors :-
• Method of heat transfer
• Size, shape and thermal properties of fish
• Packaging material used and method of packaging etc.
- packages should be tight and air pockets should be avoided
- Rate of cooling is inversely proportional to the thickness i.e. if the

thickness is double, it will take four times as long for centre to

cool.
Quick Freezing
The freezing process in which the fish passes through the zone of
maximum crystallization (– 1oC to – 5oC) in 30 min or less is referred
as quick freezing.
Slow freezing : 2 – 5 mm/ hr.
Quick freezing : 5 – 50 mm/ hr.
Rapid freezing : 50 – 100 mm/ hr.
Ultra rapid freezing : 100 – 1000 mm/ hr.
FAST FREEZING & SLOW FREEZING
• Fast freezing will control the extent of protein
denaturation by limiting the exposure of tissues to the
salts concentrated by ice formation.
• The longer the exposure, the larger is the damage to the
proteins and to other enzyme systems and their
substrate
DOUBLE FREEZING:
It is a common practice to preserve fish by freezing
onboard vessels when the voyage lasts for few weeks.
On reaching the shore, fish is thawed and reprocessed.
This practice is also adopted for making consumer
packs and value added products like IQF shrimps, fish
fillets sea food mix etc..
GLAZING :
The main problem of storage of frozen products
due to long term exposure to air are dehydration and fat
oxidation. In order to prevent both dehydration and fat
oxidation, the fish and fish products are glazed by
dipping in or spraying wit ice cold chilled water. This
provides a uniform protective thin coating of ice.
In case of block frozen products, glaze water is
added to the pack before the freezing and also after the
freezing by dipping in ice cold glaze water, whereas for
IQF products it is done after freezing by spraying or
dipping in ice cold glaze water.
THAWING :
Thawing is the reverse of the freezing process.
When heat energy is added to the frozen fish, the ice is
converted into water and fish takes up the original state.
FREEZING METHODS AND EQUIPMENTS
There are three basis methods of freezing fish and fish
products
• Those in which a continuous stream of cold air blow
over the fish and absorbs heat energy from the product
as it passes over them, thereby reducing their
temperature. These are generally known as air blast
freezers.
• Those in which heat is absorbed when the fish are
placed in contact with a refrigerated surface. These are
generally known as contact freezers or plate freezers.
• Those in which heat is rapidly absorbed from the fish
products immersed in or spraying with a refrigerated
liquid. These are generally known as immersion
freezers or spray freezers.
• Cryogenic freezers
FREEZING IN AIR
1. Freezing in still air
2. Air blast freezer
3. Continuous air blast freezer
• Belt freezer
• Batch freezer
1. Fluidized bed freezer
Freezing in still air :
• Freezer consists of an insulated room or cabinet
maintained at – 30oC to – 40oC.
• Fish is placed in aluminum trays and the trays are kept on
shelves made of pipes or coils though which refrigerant is
circulated.
• Time taken for freezing may be 12 hrs. or more which is
influenced by presence or absence of packaging, freezer
temperature, size and shape of fish, load on freezer etc..
• This is the least expensive method of freezing, however is
the slowest method as well.
AIR BLAST FREEZERS
• These freezers are generally constructed in the form of
insulated rooms or tunnels. They are used for freezing fishery
products such as shrimp, fish fillets, breaded precooked
products packed in packages and small whole fishes.
• Air is cooled by blowing by a fan through the finned cooling
coil. A stream of cold air vigorously move over the fish and
absorbs heat energy from the product as it passes over them,
thereby reducing their temperature..
• Air temperature maintained at –35oC to –40oC is forced around
the product at speeds ranging from 5 to 7 m/s.
• Freezing time varies from 6 to 8 hours depending upon the
thickness of the product.
AIR BLAST FREEZERS
Advantages:
• A versatile method for freezing applicable to any size
and shape of fish.
• Suitable for operation as batch or continuous process.
• Advantageous for producing IQF and coated products.

Disadvantages:
• The main disadvantages of freezer is that freezing time
tend to be longer.
• Consume more energy mainly because of the relative
poor heat transfer properties of air.
• Occupy more space compared to other types of freezers
• Unpackaged fish will undergo excessive dehydration
Batch continuous freezer or Tunnel freezer:
• Fish placed on trolleys or hang singly if the fish is large and move
through the freezer on rails or wheels.
• Loaded trolleys are pushed into the freezers at one end and when
the product is fully frozen, they are removed from the other end to
make room for a fresh batch at the entry point.
Continuous Belt freezer:
• An improvement in air blast freezing is to use a conveyer to
move the fish continuously through the room or the tunnel.
• They are used for small individual products which can be
frozen within 30 minutes. Longer freezing time would
require longer belt which would be cumbersome and costly.
• Double or treble belt may be installed or spiral belt freezers
in which a long belt can be compacted into a relatively
limited space, are now available.
• In these type freezers the air flow is from top to bottom or
across the belt.
• The speed of conveyor belt can be varied as per the type of
product being frozen.
• Individual Quick freezers are the recent advancement of
these type of freezers.
• Belt freezers use a belt generally made up of stainless
steel wire mesh or HD-PVC and it moves inside the
chamber and the fish to be frozen is kept on the belt.
Vertical plate freezers:
• The principle is the same as for Horizontal plate freezer.
• This type of freezer was developed primarily for freezing of whole fish at sea
on distant water vessels, now also these are most commonly used for
freezing in factory trawlers at sea.
• The freezer consists of a series of vertical plates with spaces in between
them, forming partitions in a container. The spaces between the plates are
known as stations.
• Fish are dropped between the plates until each station is full. The plates are
then closed together to form fish blocks.
• It is useful for bulk freezing of fish in large blocks.
• Temperature ranges between at –35oC to –40oC and fish freeze in 2 – 3
hours.
Advantages :
– Freezing trays are not required
– Operation is simple
– Require less space
– Easy to install
Twenty-station vertical plate freezer with top unloading arrangement
ROTARY DRUM FREEZER
• Rotary drum freezer is a refrigerated stainless steel drum
revolving at a preset speed.
• Freezing time can be adjusted by adjusting the speed of
revolution.
• Unpacked products like fish fillets, shrimp etc. can be
rapidly frozen using rotary drum freezer.
• The material to be frozen is fed on the external surface of
the drum through a conveyor. It adheres immediately to
the surface of the drum by freezing the water on the
surface of the material.
• At the end of one revolution the frozen product is scraped
off and is passed through an automatic glazer before
packaging.
• As there is no movement of air and freezing is very rapid,
there will be little or no loss of weight during freezing.
IMMERSION FREEZERS
• In this method, freezing is achieved by immersion in or
spraying with a refrigerant that remains liquid throughout
the process.
• Refrigerated aqueous solutions of propylene glycol,
glycerol, sodium chloride, calcium chloride and mixture of
sugars and salts can be used as the medium for freezing.
• Immersion freezing allows direct contact of every surface
of the material with the freezing medium and thus ensures
very efficient heat transfer.
• In brine spray freezing, super cooled brine is sprayed on
the fish for freezing.
• Some times material is taken in metallic containers / cans
and keep immersed in calcium chloride brine solution like
in case of ice making plants.
Disadvantages :
• Fish will absorb the salt.
• Not suitable for fatty fishes.
• Chances of contamination is more.

BRINE IMMERSION FREEZER

CRYOGENIC FREEZER:
• The principle Involved here is to freeze the material with
liquefied gases at extremely low temperatures, such as Liquid
Nitrogen (-196°C), Liquid carbon dioxide (-71°C).
• The liquid is carefully sprayed in required quantities on the
material passing on a conveyor belt.
Advantages:
• Dehydration loss is negligible.
• Freezing damage is minimum.
• Attain individually quick freezing of the product.
• Equipment is simple and adaptable to various production rate
and product sizes.
• Suitable for continuous operation and high output can be
achieved with minimum space and time.
• Initial investment is low.
Disadvantages :
• High operation cost as refrigerant is not reused.
• Not suitable for big size fishes.
• Chances of freezer burn are more due to extremely low temp.