Seaweed refrigeration with plate freezer and refrigeration conveyor system
Designed to maximise the quality and shelf-life of raw seaweed such as Saccharina, Alaria or Laminaria, and adapted to the large-scale industrial processing of seaweed mass. The system combines a dedicated conveyor for pre-cooling and a plate freezer for final freezing. This ensures product integrity, minimal cell damage and high product quality.
In the initial stage, the seaweed is transported through a cooling conveyor where the product is sprayed with chilled water to lower the product temperature. This step prevents thermal shock, reduces the load on the plate freezer and improves energy efficiency. Adjustable conveyor speeds achieve the required intermediate temperature, which may vary for different seaweed species.
After pre-cooling, the seaweed is packed in special containers or trays and placed in the plate freezer. The chamber is pressurised to ensure contact between the freezer plates and the product, so that temperatures of -18 °C or below are quickly reached and the product freezes quickly and evenly. Plate freezers, which can be horizontal or of any other type, are ideal for freezing seaweed into blocks for the transfer of raw materials for further processing, long-term storage or export.
The equipment is available in fully automatic or manual loading configurations, and the stainless steel construction and integrated cyclic defrost technology ensure product quality and a long service life.
Available product features:
- Flash freezing helps to maintain the texture of fresh seaweed, preserves nutrients and colour, reduces microbial activity and enzymatic decomposition, which contributes to maintaining HACCP and EU food safety standards.
- The equipment is modular in layout and has a capacity of 250 kg/h to 2 t/h.
- The refrigeration line is designed for seaweed processors in aquaculture farms and biostimulant producers who want to increase production volumes to reduce product losses while ensuring stable quality.