The development of ice crystals in food products during the superchilling process and following storage, a review

•The superchilling fundamental principles were described.•Superchilling technology keeps food products at low temperature.•This results on maintaining food freshness and retaining high food quality.•The development of ice crystals during superchilling process and storage was described.•The characteristics of ice crystals have big influence on the quality of foods.

Superchilling is a method of preserving food by partial ice-crystallization. The ice stored in superchilled products will be used as a cold reservoir during distribution or storage. Chemical and physical changes such as low water holding capacity, increase in product drip loss may occur during superchilled storage. There is a need to study the factors which may influence on these changes. The information on the development of ice crystals during the superchilling process and following storage, which has a large influence on the quality of the final superchilled food, is useful for the industry in estimating the refrigeration requirements for a superchilling system and designing the necessary equipment.