"One of the best ways to preserve good quality spinach is to IQF freeze it. However, when it comes to IQF freezing leafy greens, there is an additional step that is required to achieve the best results—blanching," according to
Cleshawn Montague from OctoFrost.
"Vegetables may be blanched in boiling water or steam; however, steam blanching does not allow for accurate temperature control which can lead to over-blanching. This is why the OctoFrost™ IF Blancher uses a combination of steam and its unique rainfall shower system."
"Immediately after the blanching process, the spinach should be chilled quickly to immediately stop the blanching process. The OctoFrost™ IF Chiller guarantees quick and even chilling thanks to the ice water that gently falls over the product through the rain shower system."
The dewatering stage that happens immediately after blanching and chilling is typically done through two methods: pressing the product under a spring-loaded cylinder or in centrifuges. "Both methods typically create lumps of spinach that will need to be loosened up before freezing. However, the OctoFrost team has developed a new piece of equipment, a tedder that efficiently rakes and separates the wilted spinach which resolves this lumping issue."
"Achieving optimal IQF spinach is possible due to the gentle fluidization in the OctoFrost™ IQF tunnel that occurs on the bedplates which use asymmetrical movement to gently separate the IQF spinach. The OctoFrost™ fans have adjustable speeds that avoid the overblow of spinach into the coil. The OctoFrost™ is an innovative IQF freezer with a unique set of features. It excels at handling sticky, fragile and otherwise difficult products like IQF spinach."
OctoFrost Group