Superchilling of food: A review

Food preservation is very important for the safety and the reliability of the product. Superchilling as used for preserving foods, has been defined as a process by which the temperature of a food product is lowered to 1–2 °C below the initial freezing point. Fresh and high quality food products are in great demand worldwide. Temperature is a major factor determining the shelf life and quality of food products. Fish and meat are perishable food commodities, where better and more advanced preservation technology is needed. Deterioration of these foods mainly occurs as a result of chemical, enzymatic and bacteriological activities leading to loss of quality and subsequent spoilage. Storing food at superchilling temperature has three distinct advantages: maintaining food freshness, retaining high food quality and suppressing growth of harmful microbes. It can reduce the use of freezing/thawing for production and thereby increase yield, reduce energy, labour and transport costs. The study on the growth mechanism of ice crystals, modelling and computer simulation of foods during superchilling and superchilling storage is needed.

► Superchilling technology keeps food products at low temperature.
► Hence, maintaining food freshness and retaining high food quality.
► This is the result of suppressing growth of harmful microbes.
► Ice fraction and temperature are main parameters describing degree of superchilling.
► Modelling and computer simulation is the tool for improving superchilling technology.