Now more than ever, consumers are willing to pay a premium price for organic, healthy food products. Not wanting pesticides or synthetic fertilizers in their food, organic food lovers are looking towards fresh products. However, consumers are realizing that frozen products are as good as fresh ones. With the frozen food industry expected to reach 363.9 billion by 2024, the frozen food industry is growing rapidly. However, consumers still prefer to use fresh ingredients over frozen. They are unaware that frozen food comes with a number of advantages. With an extended shelf life and more nutrients, frozen products are frozen when they have the most minerals and vitamins. Read on to understand why freezing is better.

Nutrition and Waste

The problem with fresh vs frozen food comes from a lack of awareness towards food waste and eating. In terms of nutritional content, freezing doesn’t damage food. Rather it preserves vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruits and vegetables, when harvested, continue to undergo chemical changes which can cause spoilage and deterioration of the product. For fresh vegetables, within three days of being pulled out of the ground, 80% of vitamin C is naturally lost from them. They also have a useful nutritional lifespan of up to five days. A quarter of all food intended for consumption is lost in the distribution chain. This waste can be avoided by improving our buying, storing and cooking habits. Studies show that consumers create less waste from using frozen fruits, berries, and vegetables.

Organic and frozen

It is easy to see why fresh products may seem to be the better choice. Produce bought from the supermarket greengrocer section is full of color and crunch. In fact, many stores use fine mist sprays to give the “just picked” look. Supermarkets are convincing shoppers to pay a premium for food they believe is tops for health and taste. However, with no synthetic modifiers, frozen food maintains its nutrients and natural flavor. Frozen food products do not require any additives in order to preserve the food. The main way to ensure long-lasting organic products is by freezing them. Growing populations and urbanization are factors that require more food resources. But there is also a big challenge in reducing waste and the growing trend for fast, convenient meals. With frozen products, healthy, flavorful, quality meals are easy ways to get a fast, organic meals without sacrificing health.

Freezing Technology

There’s no arguing it — frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient. Being pre-washed, and sometimes pre-chopped, they even come in little bags or boxed that wait in your freezer for use. On top of that, they are also often cheaper than their fresher counterparts, savings that increases when you throw out two-day old fresh broccoli that has started to brown before you could use it. The main question is “How do you convince people to consume more frozen food?” There is still a bit of guilt associated with buying frozen It is not enough to list all the benefits of frozen produce. The only way is to offer premium quality frozen food that has a natural appearance and better convenience than fresh ones. Choosing the right industrial refrigeration equipment streamlines your process for higher quality, healthier products. At AFE, we offer hygienic design standards that routinely outperform our competitors. We know different food products require different freezing methods.The type of cooling and freezing equipment that is right for you depends on the type of products your business produces. With over 150 years of combined experience, our knowledgeable team is prepared to help you understand the various options available to you so you can equip your business effectively.

The European processing industries investment in their deep-freeze capacity and strict legislation around the use of the refrigerants means there is more of a demand for frozen fries than ever. There is also a call for increasing standards regarding continuity, capacity, hygiene, and natural energy use. Last year Farm Frites invested millions of euros in a new  IQF Freezer. What freezer did they choose? AFE with their state-of-the-art line of the freezers with the highest hygiene ranking in the industry.

Why is AFE the number one choice for freezers?

Continuity:

This is probably one of the most important features of a modern IQF Freezer because the profit is in the availability of the machine. Every second that the production line at Farm Frites is not operating costs them about 1.5 euros. After eight hours, that amount equates to 43,500 euros lost. With an IQF Freezer from AFE, production only stops to do the necessary cleaning between lots. The machine operates for multiple weeks around the clock without stoppage and is perfectly capable of running many more weeks if other surrounding conditions allowed such.

Electricity Saving:

With modern evaporators, Farm Frites is saving a lot of energy. While many suppliers use a cooling agent of -32°C, AFE uses evaporators at -25°C. Every degree lower in the evaporator requires 3% more energy, meaning AFE freezers can save 21% on energy. With electric prices at 6 euro cents per KWh, Farm Frites can save 160,000 euros in one year. Additionally, the 39 centrifugal fans in each IQF Freezer can be operated with frequency regulators, thus being able to operate with lower energy usage. With the reserved capability to process 40 metric tons per hour, these savings will substantially increase.

Ready-Made Modules:

AFE provides IQF Freezers as ready-made modules.This means AFE only needs to weld the large modules together at the factory site minimizing significant installation time and resources in the field. However, these giant freezers require some organization to transport to the facility. With an inland craft, the enormous modules can be delivered to the nearest port to curtail road transport.

Hygenic Demands:

Fully welded enclosures with raised self-supporting fully welded floor systems slopped to integral drains focused on the elimination of nuts/bots and ‘sandwiched pieces” help to ensure optimal hygienic conditions. Cleaners can reach every spot of the freezer. Plus, with the addition of LED lights, the freezer can also be inspected everywhere.  AFE’s Cleaning in Place system automates the cleaning process making cleaning easier and faster. The evaporators are cleaned with spray pipes while the tunnel is cleaned with special spray balls with nozzles installed in the IQF Freezer and under the conveyor belt. After spraying, the entire space is heated to 78°C in order to pasteurize the inside.

[button href=”https://www.afellc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Potato-World.pdf” style=”flat” size=”large” color=”#0f2b8e” hovercolor=”#1e73be” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthovercolor=”#ffffff”]Check Out AFE’s Article In Potato World[/button]

AFE provides the most hygienic and efficient Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) freezing and cooling machines for ALL food products. Our goal is to provide the most hygienic, energy efficient and reliable equipment available in the world.

Vegetables are big members of the frozen food industry, but not every freezer will freeze produce while keeping freshness. Processing and preserving vegetables properly is essential to creating delicious, fresh, and safe products for your customers.

Broccoli: The Queen of the Frozen Vegetables

Broccoli is the queen of the frozen vegetable industry. Found in restaurants and on dinner tables around the world, you want your broccoli to keep its freshness from the time it’s picked to when it arrives on the table. The moment broccoli is harvested, the respiration process begins. This means that the broccoli will start to lose water and release heat. Additionally, it starts to lose vital nutrients. The moments from transportation, to quality control, to handling, to the supermarket, to your home, your broccoli will likely lose more than half of its minerals and vitamins.

Individual Quick Freezing

Don’t go for the one-size-fits all approach. Individual Quick Freezing is the ideal choice for high-value produce. In order to ensure the moisture, shape and freshness of small food items, AFE utilizes mechanical IQF Tunnels utilizing Ammonia or Freon. Your normally fragile broccoli will maintain its natural appearance, texture and color when frozen in an IQF Tunnel. An IQF Tunnel will not only lock in nutrients, but also ensure the highest quality broccoli that can be sold for a premium price. AFE IQF Tunnels can be fabricated using fully welded stainless steel panels or stainless steel clad panels that provide exceptional sanitation and durability. Each piece far exceeds the industry standards for health, cleanliness, and energy savings to give you the best results for your business.  For any vegetable processing, look to AFE for a wide variety of freezer and cooler products.

We service the industrial sector by providing cooling and freezing equipment for food processing facilities. Our goal is to provide the most hygienic, energy efficient and reliable equipment available in the world.

AFE Approach

Since 1990, AFE has been providing a full array of exceptional refrigeration, cooling, freezing and processing equipment. Whether you need refrigeration, meat processing, produce processing, or other equipment, let AFE help you find all the equipment you need to help your business thrive. With customer collaboration, we will provide a proposal specific to the processing of your product with a machine integrated into the constraints of your specific requirements. Your unit will be fabricated in the Netherlands, completely assembled in the workshop and transported to your site. Because our units are pre assembled in the workshop, installation time is very short.

C.S.A., U.S.D.A., and O.S.H.A. standards are strictly followed when designing and building all of our refrigeration equipment. Our equipment has a very hygienic design consisting of a fully welded enclosure (10 year warranty), belt support, side guiding, sloped floor and led lights. We also have in-house testing of food products to confirm our freezing or cooling machinery results.

Advantages Through Preparation

Ready for Transport

Disassembling To Transportable Modules

Lifting of Modules into Plant on Site

Efficient Delivery Logistics

When it comes to getting the most dependable performance from your food processing equipment, the quality of the equipment is only one part of your needs. Put your confidence in the AFE approach. We will be there for you to provide the guidance, answers, and recommendations you need to find the ideal equipment for your business. Give us a call for a FREE estimate and to learn more about the equipment we have to offer. AFE also has an office in Europe to better serve the European region.

Exemplary Crafting

Here at AFE, our equipment is designed and built to the highest sanitation and energy standards within the industry. Each piece is crafted from high quality stainless steel with expert welding for durability. Field proven since 1990, our continuous-seam-welding provides an industry-leading 10-year warranty. Continuous-seam-welding seals each freezer, thus preventing bacterial growth and providing greater cleanability. Not only can AFE build your enclosure to the highest standards in the industry, but our experienced and efficient technicians can also efficiently rebuild, improve, modify or fix most any manufactures cooling or freezing machines.

Enclosure Integrity

• Seamless Welded inside and out Stainless Steel Construction
• Inside finish, outside polish.
• Strong structural panels with internal fire barriers
• High density insulated foam, continuous welded & bead blasted seams, heavy gauge stainless sheeting inside & out, integrated supporting structure and techniques to avoid thermal transfer.
• Field proven for many years (Since 1990).

 Have confidence in the quality, safety, and durability of your food processing equipment with us. Give us a call for a FREE estimate and to learn more about the equipment we have to offer.

AFE: The Hottest Thing in Keeping Cool!

It seems that so many manufacturers seem to treat industrial freezers like a one size fits all product. When it comes to commercial food processing, flash-freezing and storage, you need a freezer that fits you unique needs and space. Your freezer needs to be energy efficient, cost effective, hygienic and easy to clean. AFE listens to your wants and needs when they design, engineer and manufacture a perfect freezer just for you. 

Customized Machinery

At AFE we specialize and focus on cooling and freezing machinery. Our equipment is designed and built to the highest sanitation and energy standards within the industry.  Utilizing the latest in technology and design, our engineers work with you, taking into account your requirements to the space you are working in. This means that a top-of-the-line piece of equipment will be designed and built just for you. It is important that we work in a constructive collaboration with our clients. We try our best to achieve the best solution for production goals while ensuring the utmost quality.

Experience

AFE has been designing and building custom freezers for over 20 years, providing every customer with the best equipment and the best service. Since 1990, AFE has installed over 400 freezers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Our key employees have over 150 years combined experience.

The Latest Technology

We use the latest in technology and design methods, using 3D modeling, laser cutting, robotic welding and automatic bending equipment. The results are custom machines that are build quickly and efficiently with non-proprietary parts for easy maintenance and repair. Most importantly, our continuous seam welding method seals each freezer to prevent bacterial growth and provide greater clean ability. Each freezer has an industry-leading 10-year warranty. At our primary fabrication facility, (VDL systems in Uden, Netherlands) is specifically focused on design and fabrication of stainless steel food processing equipment. We have a high level of engineering staff focusing on mechanical design, 3D modeling, and high efficient fabrication methods, techniques and processes. The lean structure of AFE and VDL produces leading designs at competitive levels.

So, if you are looking for the most innovative and sophisticated freezers custom designed by the best in the business, and guaranteed to stay clean, look no further than AFE! The hottest thing in keeping cool!

Ledlighting

Ledlighting b.v., in association with AFE, has developed LED armature for the food processing industry. The armature complies with the strict legislation and has obtained an official certificate: Foodsafe

Through the application in the food industry, all the components must meet the strict requirements. The components have been tested in laboratories and measure up to the standards of the Food and Drugs industry. The LED is also able to handle extreme temperatures during the production in -30º and cleaning in +70º.

By working together we managed to develop a product that meets all wishes:

• Create little or none ambient heat
• Low maintenance and energy efficient
• Switched on or off without problems at extreme low temperatures.
• Long lifespan in an extreme climate
• Foodsafe

Do you want to know more? Please contact us.