Freezing system for seafood production line

Nordic seafood processor Båtsfjordbruket has invested £7 million (AU$11.3 million) in a growth development plan to meet rising demand for its seafood products. The recent business expansion included a site extension and new processing equipment for its new frozen fish fillet production line.

Cooling equipment manufacturer Starfrost designed a spiral freezer to assist with the plan. The freezer featured sanitising technology, which enabled the seafood firm to increase product throughput and fully automate freezing processes within its new production line.

The Helix spiral freezer is a fully automated system that minimises contact handling. This, combined with a seamless enclosure construction that features an automated cleaning system, can help to deliver hygiene safety within production.

“The high-tech efficiency of the freezer means we are able to produce more frozen seafood product in a more cost-effective way than we were before. Our processing times have been reduced and we have boosted capacity by 35%, with plans to increase this figure once we are running at maximum production capacity,” said Frank Kristiansen, CEO of Båtsfjordbruket.

The compact freezer processes 2500 kg of fish fillets per hour, including cod, saithe and haddock, and has been designed with horizontal airflow technology for consistent, controlled freezing that is gentle on delicate seafood products. Controlled with an intelligent HMI screen, the freezer features programmable settings for precise temperature reduction and freezing times for individual products.

“The stainless steel and fully accessible design ensures highest hygiene levels and ease of maintenance. The addition of a clean-in-place (CIP) system delivers a repeatable, cost-effective method of cleaning and sanitising,” said Jonathan Fox, Export Sales Manager at Starfrost.

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