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39 min ago 2 min read
Chemical company Linde LienHwa will exhibit a range of its cryogenic solutions at Foodtech Taipei to be held in Taiwan on June 24 to 27.
The firm, which is a joint venture between Linde and LienHwa, plans to demonstrate its rapid freezing liquid nitrogen solutions that are designed to help food manufacturers keep food fresh for longer.
These solutions include the company’s tunnel freezers, which it provides in a range of models and conveyor belt widths based on food type and production needs.
According to Fortune Business Insights, food applications now account for 30.38% of the global liquid nitrogen market, making it the largest application segment.
And the market is well positioned, particularly in Asia-Pacific, where 85% of food products still rely on conventional mechanical freezing, which is slower and less efficient.
Jeffery Shan, Vice President, Head of Merchant & Clean Energy at Linde LienHwa, noted that liquid nitrogen rapid freezing has already created around €1.5bn ($1.7bn) in market value despite holding only 15% market penetration.
This ultra-cold rapid freezing process cools foods to -196C, which helps preserve nutrition, texture, colour, and flavours, stated the company.
It also delivers less moisture loss. For prepared foods, traditional freezing typically results in five to 10% moisture loss, equivalent to 50 to 100kg of product loss per tonne.
Cryogenic freezing reduces this to 1 to 3%, preserving an additional 40 to 70kg of saleable product per tonne.
In addition to industrial food manufacturing, the technique is also used in molecular gastronomy, where high-end kitchens utilise liquid nitrogen to create frozen foams or spheres such as nitro ice cream and sorbets.
In food packaging, the liquid gas is dosed into sealed containers to displace oxygen, extend shelf life, and pressurise the packaging to prevent it from collapsing.
