As a meat processor company, freezing and chilling are so important to J&G, Improving the efficiency of J&G’s freezing process would take it one step closer to its expansion business goals. A tunnel freezer,designed with simplicity and economics in mind, was integrated quickly into J&G’s production line.

 

J&G uses the tunnel freezer to process a variety of meats, including steaks, hamburger and veal patties, Salisbury steaks and pork specialty items. Everything J&G sells is ready-to-cook, both marinated and plain cuts of meat. Finished goods, chilled or frozen, are shipped according to customers’ specific requirements.

 

The simplicity of the new freezer is key for J&G. “The Freshline QS freezer’s automated control system and prerecorded recipes make the freezer simple to start up and easy to operate for both our maintenance and production teams,” says Wayne Morin, maintenance manager at J&G Foods. “This simplicity makes it feasible to train more operators to run the system.”

 

The design, with open and easy access to the freezer’s internal parts, such as the plastic belt, is also appealing to Morin. “Hygiene and safety are paramount at J&G,” Morin says. “Cleaning is quick and easy, which reduces our downtime during product changeovers.”

 

He also points out that the simpler design with fewer moving parts means fewer maintenance issues. “And from a safety perspective, the oxygen sensor is a huge plus and something we didn’t have before. This is critical to working safely with nitrogen,” he says.

 

In business since 1999, J&G has been using cryogenic freezing from the beginning. “We believe in cryogenic freezing because of the advantages of product quality. Cryogenic freezing is top-notch, and the benefits are long proven,” Piperato says. “With ultra-fast liquid nitrogen freezing, we get a higher yield and the customer gets less shrinkage when the product is prepared. It’s a mutually beneficial freezing option.”