STALAM Radio Frequency (RF) defrosting technology

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STALAM Radio Frequency (RF) defrosting technology can rapidly generate heat volumetrically within the product, so defrosting is achieved within minutes rather than hours or days — even for large product blocks or directly inside packaging used for storage (carton boxes, polyethylene bags, etc).

The heating process is uniform and controlled, resulting in a reduction of drip losses. It also offers flexibility in production schedules and is suitable for the tempering, thawing and softening process for a wide range of products including meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruit and dairy products.

Traditional defrosting methods introduce a number of difficulties directly related to the heat transfer mechanisms: slow process (hours, sometimes days); bacteria growth in the product; high drip loss; deterioration of the product surface; and batch processing (handling costs, risk of breakage, bruising and other damages to the product due to such handling). The drawbacks of these conventional defrosting methods can be avoided with the STALAM RF machines.

The product is placed on the machine’s conveyor belt and is transferred through the RF unit (tunnel), passing between upper and lower metallic plates (electrodes). When the RF generator applies high-frequency alternating voltage between these plates, the dipolar water molecules of the frozen product will vibrate and rotate in an attempt to align themselves according to the fast-changing opposite plates polarities. This phenomenon causes intermolecular friction, which will in turn generate heat rapidly and uniformly within the whole product mass regardless of its size, weight, shape and thermal conductivity.