Linde Cryoline plug-and-play MT freezer delivers efficiency, safety and traceability.

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As food safety has become a global headline issue in the past year, frozen food managers around the world have found that data is one of their most prized commodities in the quest to determine whether anything went wrong.

Linde Gas, a Pullach, Germany-headquartered supplier of industrial gasses and applications, designed its Cryoline MT tunnel freezer with just that in mind.

"Because of concerns about food safety and new regulations in the food industry, tracing production back over a period of time was among our customers' top requests when we launched the redesign of the Cryoline series," said Derrick Norvill, head of Linde's Freezing and Cooling division in Market Ransen, England.

Every Cryoline MT now snips with an onboard computer that allows users to store a complete set of operating parameters for two years. "Production managers can view the data on the machine or download it to a PC using a standard USB connection," Norvill said.

Traceability is just one of the many challenges producers face as consumers demand iron-clad commitments to hygiene and quality at the very moment that rising global competition cuts into margins.

First installed as a prototype at a Swiss poultry plant in 2004, the Cryoline MT series combines cutting edge hygiene, efficiency and traceability technologies with an easy-to-use control system as well as advanced self-diagnostics and the ability to interface with Linde engineers on line.

More than 40 producers world wide, most of them packing value-added food products ranging from salmon to chicken breasts, have adopted the Cryoline MT since its launch.

Many of the design elements that help the Cryoline MT guarantee product safety also make it a leader in end-to-end efficiency, according to Norvill.

"To start with, there are no flat surfaces--not on the roof, not inside," he said. "That way, when the machine is cleaned, all the cleaning materials roll off the freezer and there's no way for contaminants to stay behind in nooks or crannies. Similarly, we've covered all the fans and controls, and all the pipework on top of the freezer."

Coupled with the fact that all interior surfaces are both very smooth and completely accessible during the cleaning process, Norvill estimates that Linde has cut the cleaning time on a typical freezer by about 50%.

Other efficiency gains come from the machine's control applications which allow operators to optimize product quality and refrigerant use by storing and customizing up to 30 different recipes. Adjustable high-speed internal fans and easily controlled gas injection and exhaust levels help producers freeze product up to one-and-a-hag times faster than with Linde's previous line of freezers.

"Because cryogenic freezing is so fast, it also locks in the moisture," Norvill explained, "so the yield to the producer is significantly higher. We get down to 0.3% loss due to dehydration, whereas the best mechanical systems can do is 1%. For a client processing, say, 30-40 tons of meat a day, that's a substantial savings."