New Technology for Defrosting Frozen Meat

Frozen meat is a highly sensitive product, and during the defrosting process, various bacteria can rapidly multiply, compromising the quality of the meat. Whether in private kitchens or meat processing plants, a large volume of defrosted meat is required daily for the production of various meat products such as sausages. The German company Schroeter has developed a new defrosting device that enables gentle thawing of meat without compromising its quality.

During defrosting, it is essential to raise the temperature of the frozen meat from -24°C to 1°C as quickly as possible to minimize microbial growth. Currently, the common method of defrosting involves using water; however, this method has significant drawbacks, including high water consumption and noticeable degradation in meat quality after rinsing.

High Energy Efficiency

Schroeter has innovatively improved the defrosting method by using steam, which not only significantly reduces weight loss but also lowers energy consumption to one-tenth of that of traditional methods. For example, using the conventional water defrosting method, defrosting 6 tons of meat requires 90 m³ of water and incurs an energy cost of 225 euros; in contrast, the steam defrosting method requires only 800 kg of steam, resulting in an energy cost of just 20 euros.

Unlike the traditional method of defrosting frozen meat in a water bath, the steam defrosting technique places the meat on multi-layer movable racks, where steam is introduced to raise the temperature of the frozen meat to the set point. The high humidity of the steam ensures uniform heat distribution, while fans guarantee that all products have sufficient contact with the steam in both lateral and vertical directions. Additionally, temperature sensors on the surface of the frozen meat and inserted within the meat monitor the temperature range in real-time, ensuring temperature consistency and preventing overheating and bacterial growth.

Perfect Defrosting Programs for Various Meats

This device features up to 100 different defrosting programs, each with as many as 30 steps, suitable for defrosting various types of meat. Parameters such as time, surface temperature, internal temperature, and minimum/maximum temperature values can be set. Notably, the minimum and maximum temperature settings ensure safe defrosting even if the placement of temperature sensors on the surface or inside is suboptimal. Once the defrosting program is completed through temperature control, the defrosting device automatically switches to a cooling state, maintaining the temperature within the range of 2°C to -6°C prior to further processing operations. Consequently, this device can also be used for short-term storage during meat preparation processes.