Frozen to the Perfect Temperature

Freezing technology has revolutionized the bakery and pastry industry, transforming everything from product development to daily operations. It’s not merely about preservation; it’s about enhancing quality, efficiency, and creativity in ways that were once unimaginable.

by Bogdan Angheluță

For bakeries and pastry shops, both large and small, freezing capabilities have become as essential as ovens. This technology allows for more flexible production schedules, reducing the need for round-the-clock baking while still ensuring fresh products are available on demand. Bakers can now prepare items in advance, freeze them at peak freshness, and finish them just before sale, maintaining quality without sacrificing convenience. The evolution of freezing equipment has been particularly impactful. Modern blast freezers and cryogenic systems can rapidly chill pastries, preserving their structure and flavor far better than traditional methods. While the initial investment in such equipment can be significant, the long-term benefits in terms of product consistency, reduced waste, and expanded menu offerings make it a worthwhile consideration for many businesses. For larger operations, freezing technology has opened new possibilities in production and distribution. Seasonal fluctuations in ingredient availability are less of a concern, as items can be produced in bulk when costs are low and stored for future use. This not only stabilizes pricing but also allows for a more consistent product range throughout the year. Even smaller artisanal bakeries have found freezing technology to be a game-changer. It allows them to offer a wider variety of products without the pressure of daily production for each item. Moreover, it has elevated the art of cake decoration, allowing for more intricate designs that can be prepared in advance and preserved perfectly until needed. As freezing technology continues to advance, its role in the bakery and pastry industry is likely to grow even further. From improving food safety to enabling new product innovations, it has become an indispensable tool in the modern baker’s arsenal. In an industry where freshness and quality are paramount, freezing technology has paradoxically become the key to serving up the freshest, highest-quality baked goods to an increasingly discerning customer base.

Longer running, better performance

The newest member of JBT’s freezer range, the Frigoscandia GYRoCOMPACT 70 Spiral Freezer (GC70), is now available with Sequential Defrost; an addition which means producers can benefit from the GC70’s capacity increase for up to two weeks of continuous running, according to company representatives. By incorporating this option into the GC70, producers can enjoy not only prolonged running time but also a 20% capacity upgrade without compromising the footprint when compared to its predecessor. The new function means the GC70 can run longer continuous times without stopping and without any need to halt production for defrosting at regular intervals. A new iteration of the JBT Frigoscandia GYRoCOMPACT range of spiral freezers – the industry standard for spiral freezer technology across the globe – the GC70 not only includes a 700mm wide belt, but also a range of key features which have been optimized to work better, smarter, and more powerfully than ever before. The addition of the Sequential Defrost option enables the GC70 to operate continuously for up to two weeks without the need for frequent defrosting, ensuring uninterrupted production. “This is a specially tailored option designed to meet the running requirements of the GC70,” says Torbjörn Persson, JBT’s director of Global Sales Support & Product Line Management for Frigoscandia Freezers. Capacity is another key feature of the GC70. To overcome space restrictions in many facilities, JBT has increased the overall capacity of the GC70 by building up, maximizing the amount of freezer that can cover the same area of floorspace. The overall achievement is a capacity increase of up to 20%. “The capacity is the big advantage of the GC70: in a relatively small space, we have managed to squeeze more capacity out of the freezer by increasing the headroom, which is of considerable benefit to customers,” Persson adds. Improved drying functions also play a key role in the updated GC70. The improvements, which are focused on quicker and more efficient drying of the belt, save up to an hour compared with previous functions. This, says Persson, translates to a big saving on customers’ turnaround times. “In older models, you had to dry for a longer period: this new version is a lot quicker, which means you cut delays in restarting production,” he explains. More than this, JBT technicians also took a deep dive into all the food safety and hygienic aspects of the freezer design. The result has been an opening of all the profiles on the machine to make it simpler and more straightforward to clean. A final detail is the addition of JBT’s OmniBlu platform. A performance optimization system, which gathers and analyses data, insights and airflow control provided by OmniBlu enhances freezer performance and efficiency.

Read the rest of the article in the July-August issue of European Baker & Biscuit.