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Lutetia Defrosting System

Lutetia Defrosting System

Faced with the general use of frozen raw ingredients in the majority of industrial food preparations, the defrosting operation has become a key phase in the food transformation process.

Mastering this operation is essential as classic methods are too long and favour bacterial development. Furthermore, these 'classic' methods lead to losses in weight and of protein which disappear in the defrosted exudate.

The system is based on a controlled injection of steam in a rotating drum and under controlled vacuum.

 

  • Strong>Low pressure, food quality vapour is directly injected into the massager to contact the frozen products. On condensing, this steam gives up its latent heat, from changing state, to the product for a décongélation efficace.
  • The rotating drum accelerates the break up of the blocks and facilitates homogenisation of temperature. Defrosting may be carried out in a double-walled massager so that no part of the heat transfer is by convection (double envelope), which limits the condensates in the frozen product (important for HPD criteria).

 

The LUTETIA block breaker reduces the blocks in size for quicker defrosting and products that are more homogeneous and more certain (block breaker).

For more delicate products, LUTETIA suggests defrosting in ventilated chambers with supersaturated steam (defrosting in chambers).

  • Technical Specifications

    To meet the necessary quality required by the food industry, LUTETIA has chosen the best technical components available on the market in order to produce a high-performance machine, robust and profitable for your type of production.

    The LUTETIA blade (Exclusive to LUTETIA) specifically designed to ensure:
    - a homogeneous mixture
    - respect for product integrity
    - optimisation of the product links on the surface and at the core

    Optimal management of the vacuum and temperature: swivel connections for continuous vacuum and steam entry

    Variable capacity stainless steel drum with the possibility of a double envelope

    Dynamic defrosting system under vacuum/steam

    Defrosting is obtained by injecting expanded steam into the massager previously put under vacuum. At low pressure, the steam condenses on the surface of the food at low temperature. So, at 50mbar, the steam condenses at 33°C which is insufficient to lead to coagulation on the surface of the meat. The steam can come from a LUTETIA steam generator or from the factory boiler via the LUTETIA client kit. In order to reduce the humidity level, the massager drum may be fitted with a double envelope fed with a tepid mixture of mono-propyl glycol and water. In order to accelerate the heat transfer and to homogenise the defrosting, the blocks of meat may be passed through the block breaker before defrosting.

  • Benefits

    • Better technical quality of your products : no protein loss (juices reabsorbed)
    • Rapidity : Defrosting time 4-8 times quicker (4/8 hours instead of 24/48 hours)
    • Safety : Improvements to sanitary quality
    • Profitability : Gain of 4-8% in weight
    • Economies in water and energy
    • Reduction in organic waste
    • Consolidation of operations : example : defrosting + salting of meat, or defrosting + salting + cooking meat for prepared meals
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