Freezing Time Predictions for Brick and Cylindrical-Shaped Foods

A simplified model previously developed for freezing time calculations in plate freezers is extended to systems with two or three dimensional heat flow. The model combines Plank's equation with the unsteady heat transfer solutions for bodies with constant properties, through the addition of pre-cooling, change of phase and tempering times. Average thermal properties, different for each period are used in order to take into account their change with the ice content along the freezing process. Freezing time predictions show a maximum difference of 10% with respect to freezing experiments performed with meat blocks shaped as cylinders or rectangular bricks. Processing times from 0.7–5 hr were compared with satisfactory agreement.