Subtopic: Preservation of food by cooling and freezing
Question Statement:
In Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) of diced fruits and shrimp using a fluidized bed freezer:
Options:
(A) Cold air at high velocity ($-35^\circ\text{C}, 3\text{--}5\text{ m/s}$) flows upward through a perforated belt, suspending particles individually and preventing block agglomeration
(B) Foods are submerged in boiling brine
(C) Particles freeze into one large monolithic block weighing 50 kg
(D) Freezing occurs solely by infrared laser beams
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
IQF fluidization suspends discrete particulate food items in upward freezing air blasts, ensuring rapid heat transfer coefficients ($h > 100\text{ W/(m}^2\cdot\text{K)}$) and freezing items separately without clumping into blocks.