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Hybrid freezing of food products by gas hydrate formation.

Number: 18359

Author(s) : BOUMAIZA H., CLAIN P., DELAHAYE A., NDOYE F. T.

Summary

Freezing is widely used for food preservation, but the growth and recrystallization of ice crystals can deteriorate texture, sensory attributes, and nutritional value. Gas hydrates, crystalline structures formed by water and guest molecules under controlled pressure and temperature, represent a promising way to immobilize free water and inhibit recrystallization. Their application in frozen foods, however, remains poorly understood.
This study investigates CO₂ hydrate formation in food-like sugar solutions (10–30 wt%) and in a heterogeneous apple-based matrix (11 °Brix, 85.7 wt% water). Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was used to detect hydrate crystallization and to quantify the fraction of water incorporated into hydrates from dissociation enthalpy. Hydrate formation was confirmed in fructose solutions and in apple under moderate pressures (20–27 bar) and subzero temperatures close to their respective freezing points, which decrease with increasing sugar concentration (typically ranging from about −1 °C to −7 °C over the investigated composition range). Increasing fructose concentration shifted hydrate formation toward lower temperatures and reduced the hydrate fraction. In the apple matrix, hydrates alone immobilized 10–19% of the initial water, and a sequential hydrate–ice protocol enabled partial water immobilization at milder temperatures (around −5 °C) prior to subsequent ice crystallization. These results provide experimental evidence of CO₂ hydrate formation in sugar-rich solutions and in a real fruit matrix, supporting the feasibility of hydrate-assisted freezing pathways in food-relevant systems.

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Pages: 12 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Hybrid freezing of food products by gas hydrate formation.
  • Record ID : 30034739
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: 9th IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain. Proceedings: April 12-14 2026
  • Publication date: 2026/04
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.iccc.2026.8359

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