TEYS12 - Evaluation of Supa Chill Technology

Summary

​Background
Supachill was a specific Very Fast Freezing (VFF)  immersion cooling technology designed to rapidly cool food products for both chilled and frozen applications.  The manufacturers claimed several product quality advantages for freezing meat including:Reduced ice crystal formation, tissue damage and drip lossImproved yield, tenderness, firmness, eating quality and shelf life.
Research
Teys Bros and Meat and Livestock Australia entered into a MLA Donor Company partnership project to investigate the potential of the VFF technology.  
The purpose of the project was to:Determine the value propositionDevelop a research and development planValidate the Supachill claims in portion control products as well as preliminary testing on other productsDetermine preliminary market feedback
Outcomes
The following outcomes were achieved from product trials:The colour, drip loss and tenderness of aged beef steaks subjected to three temperature regimes (blast chiller, Supachill and blast freezer) were compared.Supachill reduced freezing time by nearly 2 days compared to blast freezing.  Supachill resulted in meat that had less purge loss but tended to be lighter and browner in colour than blast frozen meat.  The magnitude of these effects depended on the period of time steaks were displayed after thawing.  Colour was more intense and colour change due to freezing treatment was more perceptible in the rump than cube and strip loin steaks.Further research work was recommended to assist with developing commercial applications for Supachill .
Further progression of the Supachill project was hampered by the difficulties faced by the equipment supplier, and a liquidator was appointed to the supplier in December 2010. Subsequently, the equipment manufacturer ceased to operate and was unable to provide any ongoing technical support for Supachill.   However, Teys has continued to operate the equipment and made some substantial modifications to improve the product quality and process efficiencies.  
The technology continues to operate commercially for Teys Food Service; however Supachill is no longer manufactured and further adoption of this technology is not possible.