FREEZEWAVE; A NEW EUROPEAN PROJECT ON FREEZING UNDER MICROWAVES IRRADIATION

摘要

FREEZEWAVE project is an ERANET SUSFOOD project (May 2015 - Dec.. 2018). It concerns the freezing of foods using a highly innovative technique combining freezing at slow rate with part time emission of microwaves (2450 MHz); this innovative concept has been investigated recently by ONIRIS and results showed that a 62% decrease of the average ice crystal size was acquired when samples were frozen under microwave irradiation compared to the control (Xanthakis et al., 2014, IFSET - study on pork meat). To improve the quality of frozen foods, fast freezing is usually recommended, resulting in a reduction of the ice crystals. However, a fast freezing increases the energy demand: low ambient temperature & high air velocity to enhance the rate of heat transfer are needed to achieve a fast freezing. FREEZEWAVE project aims at expanding & optimizing the concept to several foods (sauce, meat, vegetable & ready to eat meals) and also at designing industrial equipment. The novel concept concerns the freezing equipment sector thanks to a French SME partner (SAIREM) and the global frozen food sector. FREEZEWAVE will provide scientific knowledge and new scientific insights in food freezing. Project's outcomes may also be of interest for non-food applications such as biotechnology.