Flash freezing demonstration kamaboko

This time, we conducted an experiment in which we froze and thawed kamaboko and then conducted a sensory evaluation.

In this article, we freeze kamaboko using the Artlock Freezer and three other types of freezing machines, and report on the hypothesis, verification results, and sensory evaluation!

“Even though we use high-quality ingredients, the expiration date is short, so we end up wasting the product.”
There are probably many customers who have such problems.
We are often asked about kamaboko for a variety of other reasons.

Therefore, when freezing kamaboko, we conducted an experiment to verify the hypothesis that the quality of freezing differs depending on the machine, the presence or absence of certain raw materials, and the type of dough product!

In this experiment, the following hypotheses were tested using four types of freezing: Art Lock freezers, Re-Joice Freezer (liquid freezers), shock freezers and other rapid freezing, and slow freezing methods used by general freezers.

① Comparison by freezing machine​

・Artlock freezer is suitable for freezing kamaboko.
・There is a difference in the finished kamaboko between rapid freezing and slow freezing.

② Comparison of the presence or absence of certain raw materials​

・Products that contain certain specific raw materials as a binder are less likely to release water.

③ Comparison of differences in heating methods of kneaded products​

・Because fish cakes and other foods are cooked in oil, it is difficult to include "su" in them compared to others.We will explain the results of testing each hypothesis!

① Comparison by freezing machine

It took about 30 minutes in the Art Lock freezer, Re-Joice Freezer, and shock freezer, but about 5 hours in a regular freezer.

From the photo below, you can see that in a regular freezer (slow freezing), there are many "su" in the kamaboko, and there is a big difference in the quality of appearance between slow freezing and rapid freezing!

② Comparison of the presence or absence of certain raw materials

From the appearance of the photo below, it can be said that the Artlock freezer freezes the best, followed by the shock freezer, and then the regular freezer (slow freezing)!

③ Comparison of differences in heating methods of kneaded products

The hypothesis was that it would be less likely that "su" would be incorporated in ingredients such as fish cakes, which are seasoned with oil, compared to other paste products, but in this experiment, the paste products used I can't see a big difference was!
The results may vary depending on the price range and raw materials.

Conclusion

This time, we reported the results of testing four hypotheses regarding the freezing and thawing of kamaboko.
We tested freezing various types of kneaded products using an Art Lock freezer, Re-Joice Freezer (liquid freezer), a shock freezer, and a regular freezer!

​The evaluation results of this freezing method comparison are shown in the table below.

	art rock	rejoice	shock	common freezer
Freezing time	half an hour	half an hour	half an hour	5 hours
flavor	I felt the flavor	I don't feel the flavor	I felt the flavor	I don't feel the flavor
texture	Smooth	Smooth	Sometimes rough	Rough
taste	I don't know if it's frozen	I don't feel the taste	feel salty	feel salty
comprehensive evaluation	◎	○	○	△

① By freezing machine Results of comparative verification of
・Our Artlock freezer is suitable for freezing kamaboko.
→The results of this verification show that among the four types of refrigeration equipment, Artlock Freezer is Freezing time, flavor, texture, taste It was the best in terms of!

・There is a difference in the finished kamaboko between rapid freezing and slow freezing.
→From this verification result, There was a clear difference I can say that!
The major differences were in "texture," "freezing time," and "appearance."

②Results of comparative verification of the presence or absence of certain raw materials​

・Items that contain certain specific raw materials as a binder are less likely to release water.
→In this verification, the presence or absence of a certain raw material was Does not affect syneresis, the weight did not change! However, sensory evaluation shows that there is a difference depending on whether it is present or not. "Yes" The hard texture remains even after thawing, "Nothing" Now it has a soft texture!

③ Comparative verification of differences due to heating of kneaded products​

・Because fish cakes are seasoned with oil, it is harder to get the "su" in them.
→In this verification, similar results were obtained for kamaboko, fish cake, chikuwa, and bamboo kama. There was no big difference! However, there may be differences depending on the price range and raw materials of the paste product, so it is necessary to further deepen the research in the future!

When frozen in our Artlock Freezer, not only kamaboko but also other ingredients retain their flavor and taste, and are highly praised for being delicious.

Please take a look at this experiment and if you have any concerns or improvements you would like to make regarding food freezing, please contact us!