ABSTRACT
The freezing–melting (FM) process is capable of removing water by freezing it out from solution as ice crystals. The use of FM is more common in concentrating liquid foods due to the reduced loss of volatiles, aromas, color, nutrients, and thermal degradation of food products. The refrigerant in liquid form under pressure is expanded through a nozzle into the product liquid, where it vaporizes at lower pressure. The refrigerant in liquid form under pressure is expanded through a nozzle into the product liquid, where it boils at lower pressure. Stripping of butane from products has been accomplished in a packed tower with liquid effluents containing less than 0.2 ppm butane which meets some standard for desalinated water. The mass transfer of butane from the melted water was experimentally shown to be liquid-diffusion controlled. Centrifuges have also been used to separate the ice crystals from the concentrated liquid.
