[Freezing pickles] rapid freezing demo

Lately, we have been receiving a lot of inquiries about whether it is possible to rapid freezing pickles.

Demand for rapid freezing seems to be increasing as a preservation method for online sales and mass production.

However, it is said that it is difficult to freeze vegetables, which have a high water content compared to meat and fish.

Therefore, depending on the type of vegetable, some ingredients may require processing such as blanching to maintain their quality. For this reason, it seems that some people who were interested in rapid freezing pickles were put off by it.

Therefore, this time, we conducted a freezing test of pickles to obtain more detailed data. In this way, we regularly conduct internal tests in order to provide our customers with more reliable data.

This time we prepared four types: light pickles, rice bran pickles, miso pickles, and pickled pickled radish. Testing focuses on changes in appearance, texture, flavor, aroma, etc. before and after freezing.

Also, even with the same ingredients, there are often differences in the freezing results depending on the processing method, so it is interesting to see what kind of difference it makes depending on the pickling method.

Preparation for freezing

First, all ingredients are vacuum packed.

If air remains in the bag, it will be difficult for the cold air to pass through during freezing, and it will also cause oxidation, leading to a decline in quality.

On the other hand, if you increase the pressure too much to remove air, you may crush the food, so work carefully.

vacuum packaging machine

Bags of pickles are placed in this machine and vacuum packed.

Pickles after vacuum packaging

This is what happens when pickles are vacuum packed.

Preservation of pickles

The storage method after rapid freezing is also an important factor that affects quality. Therefore, this time I stored it in a regular commercial freezer at -20℃ and a stocker at -30℃ for one month.

Defrosting results of pickles

After comparing the appearance, texture, flavor, etc., we found that there were large differences in the freezing results depending on the type of pickle.

It turns out that even pickles made from the same ingredients can have different rapid freezing results depending on how they are pickled.

 

Miso pickles

It's hard to believe that it has been frozen for a month.
Drips are not noticeable either.

Pickled radish

The photo below is from a tasting session with all members. This time we also prepared fresh pickles that were not frozen. You can clearly see the difference by comparing them.

Our test room is the only place in Japan where you can compare and eat rapid freezing ingredients from various manufacturers on the spot.

The sushi you see in the center is also rapid freezing.

What surprised me in this experiment was that some pickles that had been rapid freezing and stored for a month seemed to have more flavor than fresh pickles.

It seems that it was aged while being stored for a month. Isn't this also a technique that can only be achieved using rapid freezer causes less deterioration in quality during freezing?

Regarding freezing comparison test

In our test room, everyone can experience freezing tests with their favorite ingredients. The compatibility of foodstuffs with rapid freezer often changes depending on conditions such as processing methods and production areas.

We want everyone to see it with their eyes, taste it with their tongue, and be satisfied with it before making a purchase.

We look forward to your visit.