An ice cream hardening chamber rapidly reduces the temperature of freshly packed ice cream from around -5°C to -35°C or lower. This quick freezing process prevents the formation of large ice crystals, ensuring smooth texture, better taste, and longer shelf life.
Hardening Chamber: Used immediately after production to freeze ice cream quickly to the desired core temperature.
Freezer Room: Maintains already hardened ice cream at -25°C to -30°C for long-term storage and distribution.
Ice cream should be stored consistently at -25°C or below. For best product quality, hardening should be done at -35°C to -40°C, followed by storage in the freezer room.
Rapid hardening locks in product quality by preventing coarse ice crystal formation. This ensures a smooth mouthfeel, better stability during storage, and longer shelf life.
Blue Cold offers both Ammonia-based and Freon-based refrigeration systems. Ammonia is ideal for large industrial ice cream plants, while Freon systems are well-suited for small to medium-scale operations.
The hardening time depends on product volume, packaging, and chamber design. Typically, ice cream requires 6–12 hours to reach the desired temperature in a properly designed hardening chamber.
While some facilities combine both, it is generally recommended to have separate chambers for hardening and storage to ensure optimal energy efficiency and consistent product quality.
Blue Cold designs customized solutions ranging from a few pallets for small producers to large-scale chambers for industrial ice cream factories. Capacities are tailored to production and storage requirements.
Our designs use advanced compressors, efficient air circulation systems, and high-performance insulation panels to reduce energy consumption while maintaining stable low temperatures.
Regular maintenance includes:
* Cleaning evaporator and condenser coils
* Inspecting door seals and insulation integrity
* Monitoring refrigerant levels and compressor performance
* Checking airflow and fan motors
With consistent temperatures of -25°C or lower, ice cream can typically be stored for 6–12 months, depending on recipe, packaging, and handling practices.
