Broccoli remains one of the traditional favorites on the frozen vegetable market, especially due to its praised nutritional values and health benefits. Consumers have a high interest in the number of nutrients of IQF broccoli, but only want products that have a natural appearance, a premium quality, and meet food safety standards. As a consequence, the demand for private label IQF broccoli is on the rise and producers compete to supply this demand with the best quality on the market, while also complying with the high food safety regulations.

In order to achieve great results with IQF broccoli, which is going to be sold in supermarkets, producers need superior freezing techniques and equipment, capable of preserving the product's nutrients and its natural appearance. The OctoFrostTM team has an impressive experience with the freezing of broccoli and can offer valuable information to processors.

First of all, immediately after broccoli is harvested, it begins its respiration process, which means it will start to lose water and release heat. This will have a negative impact on the nutritional values of the broccoli because the product will start to lose a lot of nutrients. Considering the time between transportation, quality control, handling, and the moment the broccoli will reach the supermarket, it is extremely possible that the product will lose more than a half of its original amount of vitamins and minerals before it is consumed. This is why OctoFrostTM recommends IQF freezing on-site.

Broccoli needs blanching and pre-cooling before the IQF freezing

IQF freezing is the most used method for freezing vegetables such as broccoli because the product will be individually quick frozen, with premium results, preserving its natural color, texture, and shape. By IQF freezing on-site, processors will obtain a high-quality IQF broccoli, that can be sold at a premium price.

Also, before the actual IQF freezing process begins, OctoFrostTM recommends blanching and pre-cooling broccoli. Blanching is the practice of exposing the broccoli to steam or boiling water, for a short period of time, in order to deactivate the vegetable enzymes. The enzymes cause the broccoli to mature, therefore losing its flavor, nutrients, texture, and color. Generally, every vegetable needs to be blanched and then immediately pre-cooled, before freezing. In the particular case of broccoli, OctoFrostTM recommends that, after bleaching, the vegetable should be cooled at +7O C.

One of the biggest challenges processors face is keeping a good separation of the products, as they tend to stick to each other and form block formations and lumps. However, all the challenges that IQF broccoli producers face can be easily overcome by using a performant freezing equipment. During IQF freezing, it's important to create the optimal fluidization inside the freezer. Fragile vegetables like broccoli are easily damaged, which means they require gentle handling. The OctoFrostTM IQF tunnel freezer has several different freezing zones, which allow a good control over the speed of the fans. Moreover, the freezer has perforated bedplates, made of food-grade plastic material. This is very important because the controlled fan speed and the perforations inside the bedplate allow air to move through the plates and push the broccoli into the air at an optimal speed, making it slowly move towards the outfeed of the freezer. This way, the OctoFrostTM IQF tunnel freezer can achieve perfect fluidization for premium quality IQF broccoli results.

When it is individually quick frozen in the OctoFrostTM IQF tunnel freezer, IQF broccoli maintains its natural appearance, texture, color, shape, and taste. This is possible because of the freezer's unique bedplate configuration and its quick, controlled freezing process.