NK Meat produces Norwegian gyro and kebab meat for large households and kebab restaurants all over Norway from its factory in Ålgård on Jæren. Since they needed to improve the production flow, size mattered.
“We tried several different solutions, but it was Linde’s CRYOLINE® CW freezer that was clearly the best fit”, says general manager Michel Hanna from NK Meat. Since they needed to find an application that could cool freshly cooked pork until frozen in a few minutes, size was important.
“We needed a freezing tunnel that did not take up much space but was also efficient. The compact size of CRYOLINE® CW fit like a glove”, says Hanna.
Saw a “live” demonstration
“The work began about two years ago,” says Frode Berge, Sales Engineer Food Applications at Linde.
“At that time, NK Meat produced on a smaller scale. Linde assisted with gases for packaging the meat. Afterwards, we invited them to our laboratory in Helsingborg where we introduced them to our CRYOLINE® CW freezer. They were able to see how the system worked ‘in real time’, and saw the result immediately,” says Berge.
“When we received an offer of a ‘live’ demonstration, the choice was easy,” says Hanna.
“The determining factor was seeing the results, especially when they were so good.” NK Meat has now established a new production line where the process is faster.
Flexible line
“The advantage of CRYOLINE® CW freezer is that it can be adjusted as needed. It can operate as a completely normal tunnel freezer, however, it also has a patented wave function that results in a very good IQF (individual quick frozen) quality. This is especially beneficial when working with meat that is treated with spices and marinade,” Frode Berge underscores.
“Usually, the challenge with marinated meat is that it clumps up. With a CRYOLINE® CW freezer as the solution, this is avoided.”
Hanna praises Linde's efforts in the process:
“The cooperation has been absolutely fantastic,” he says.
“As a total supplier, they have assisted us throughout the process, and provided very good service.” He concludes, “Their competency within this field has been invaluable.”
