Fish processors who thaw large amounts of frozen fish blocks have to deal with the fact that the thawing process takes up much space, is labour intensive and in many cases consumes lot of water.
Manual thawing methods always involve the risk that some of the fish is still frozen, while the temperature of the other can reach critical high values. 3X Technology, an Icelandic manufacturer of food processing equipment, has introduced a solution which it says is both economic and productive. The most common application for the system, is thawing of whole or beheaded mackerel or whitefish.
The thawing solution is based on a stainless steel screw-tank with temperature controlled water. The thawing tank is adjustable for different block sizes, which in most cases range from 7kg to 28kg. The speed of the screw can be adjusted and the thawing process takes one to three hours, depending on material. By changing the parameters of the tank, the core temperature can be optimised for target value, which is usually from -2°C to +2°C.
In order to minimise labour, the system comes with an electronic driven conveyor for full pallets with frozen blocks and a scissor elevator which is placed at the in-feed end of the tank. The operator can adjust the height of the pallets when feeding the block into the tank. In most cases one operator can run the system at full capacity.
The 3X Technology thawing system has already been installed in several plants in Europe. According to processors using the system, the yield and product quality has improved considerably. It has also led to savings in water, electricity, labour and space. Another benefit of the system is to have an even and continuous flow of thawed material into further processing.
Graham Witherington of G.W. Containers, the UK representative of 3X Technology, says that there is a considerable interest in the thawing system from companies in the UK, and there is already one system running at large mackerel processor. He says that processors who are thawing up more than 10 tonnes per day of frozen fish can have a good payback on their investment.
