Superchilling of organic food. Part 2: Storage test with superchilled organic salmon and pork chops

Superchilling of organic salmon and pork chop was investigated and the potential of the concept was documented for the organic sector, especially SMEs.Relative shelf life extension of 14 days compared to chilled product, were documented for both products. The colour of the product showed no significant changes between the superchilling and conventional chilling processes. However, the superchilled products shod an increased drip loss and reduced water holding capacity, whic was caused by the partial freeze damage. The shelf life of the superchilled product will depend mainly on sanitation, processing and cold chain conditions and not on the organic origin of the product. The performed investigations demonstrated the potential of the superchilling concept for organic products. The needed technology is available at the market and implementation of the technology for the organic production lines is possible

Performance simulation of a Heat Pump Drying System using R744 as refrigerant

Convective drying requires significant amount of thermal energy in order to evaporate water from the product. In most cases this energy, present as latent heat in removed drying air, is not recovered. However, the simultaneous availability of waste heat and thermal energy demand is ideal for heat pump applications. This case study evaluates the performance of CO2 as refrigerant in heat pump assisted drying system for grain drying. The system was designed for a thermal capacity of up to 400 kW. This allows a mobile design in order to move the heat pump system to different drying locations. The energy demand of the drying system is decreased to 200 kWh per ton of evaporated water, which equals an energy saving potential of over 70%. Estimated investment costs indicate that the return of investment can be lower than 3 years, depending on seasonal variations and drying demand