A fresh look at freezing foods: new technology to preserve nutrients

“We were able to show that, compared to conventional methods, the ice crystals that form are smaller with ultrasound-assisted freezing. We could see that the damage inside the foods was minimised.”

In part 8 of our researcher case studies we look at Professor Da-Wen Sun of the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

We all know the importance of eating fresh food, but could frozen food be just as good for us? That depends on how quickly and effectively the food has been frozen, and whether its nutrients have been protected on its journey to us.  Professor Da-Wen Sun, Professor of Food and Biosystems Engineering at UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, has written key textbooks for the food industry and has received many international accolades for his work on refrigeration and freezing technologies.  He has developed a method that uses ultrasound during freezing to make the process more effective, lessening damage caused by ice crystals and protecting nutrients within foods. The method is now under consideration by academic and industry food researchers, and could ultimately help to protect nutrients in food processing and storage and improve human health through more effective nutrition.

You can find the full text of his case study here: A fresh look at freezing foods: new technology to preserve nutrients