How pumpkin is frozen at a berry, vegetable, and fruit freezing plant.
Pumpkin is an annual, heat-loving, and light-loving herbaceous plant. There are three types of pumpkins generally grown: hard-skinned, large-fruited
In the city of Shpola, Cherkasy region, high-quality fruits, berries, and vegetables are produced using the shock freezing technology. Thanks to the chosen technology, the products do not lose their beneficial properties. The stages of sorting, inspection, and freezing of the products were explained by the Deputy Director of Production at the Tevitta brand, Valentina Hulina.
Where is the pumpkin supplied from for freezing? What are the requirements for sales?
The pumpkin is grown in the Cherkasy region by a farming enterprise that is part of the LNZ Group. The farm is already familiar with the standards that must be followed for the grown produce, as they have been supplying pumpkins for freezing for several seasons. The plant has approved specifications for the finished product. The raw material quality requirements are quite simple: no rot, no signs of disease, or damage by agricultural pests. The closer the pumpkin meets these requirements, the more expensive it will be. Additionally, there is an opportunity to produce the finished product according to specifications provided by clients, so each farmer who grows their own product can sell it frozen, and the plant will adapt to the farmer’s work.
How is the pumpkin inspected?
The acceptance of pumpkins is done in batches. A batch is considered any quantity of fresh raw material of the same cultivar, harvested at the same time, in uniform packaging, which is subject to simultaneous acceptance and documentation with a quality certificate. The quality control inspector performs the incoming inspection of the raw material in accordance with the instructions “Incoming inspection of raw materials and auxiliary materials.”
What are the processes involved in preparing pumpkin for freezing?
Before freezing, the pumpkin goes through several preparation stages, including: washing the fruits, removing the seed cavity, cutting into segments, peeling, washing the peeled segments, inspection, and cutting. In what form is the pumpkin frozen? The pumpkin is mainly frozen in the form of cubes sized 10*10 mm.
What further operations are performed after the pumpkin is frozen?
After the freezing stage in the fluidized bed tunnel, the standard cubes are separated from the sifted material, inspected, and then packaged into transport packaging, which happens at the weighing dispenser. The net weight ranges from 5 to 30 kg. After dosing, the packaging unit undergoes a weight control check on the conveyor. After that, the boxes are sealed, scanned by a metal detector, stacked on pallets, labeled, and sent to the warehouse.
At what temperature and how long does the product store?
The plant has 6 storage chambers, with a total pallet storage capacity of over 10,000 places. The finished product is stored at a temperature no higher than minus 18°C for no more than 24 months from the production date.