Defrosting & Tumbling

Using frozen meat requires an optimal defrosting process. The solution: defrosting under vacuum with ColdSteam! 

ColdSteam is a highly controlled process using steam under vacuum to efficiently defrost meat without scalding or damaging it, nor cause denaturation of proteins. GEA pioneered this technique, and currently leads the market with the innovative ColdSteam. 

ColdSteam: rapid and efficient GEA Food Solutions applies defrosting under vacuum in both tumblers and mixers. Fast defrosting under vacuum increases operational flexibility as it reduces lead-time in the production process. Compared to traditional defrosting techniques such as tempering chambers or microwave systems. ColdSteam delivers consistent results, no incomplete defrosting or hot spots. In other words, it enables meat processors to satisfy the increasingly higher demands of their customers.

What is ColdSteam?

At normal atmospheric pressure (1.0 bar), water boils at 100°C (212°F)

In a vacuum, it boils at a lower temperature. In a 95% vacuum (0.05 bar), the boiling point of water drops to 33°C (91.4°F)

The resulting steam also at this temperature condenses immediately on to the cold meat, and efficiently transfers its thermal energy, significantly speeding up the defrosting. The steam at 33°C does not scald or damage the meat, nor cause denaturation of proteins. The general benefits of vacuum, controlled, defrosting:

• Significant reduction of defrosting time
• Increased yield, no weight loss through purge (drip loss)
• Substantial reduction of manualhandling
• Increased operational flexibility
• Faster reaction to customer demands
• Verified food safety guarantee
• Top and easy to use hygienic design
• For high variety of products (bone-in and boneless meat & poultry, shrimps)