5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Iqf Fruits？

Freezing food is an excellent way to retain the freshness of your product for far longer than typical. Despite this, a great many industrial distributors and bulk buyers are unaware of the numerous benefits that frozen food has over fresh or stock cupboard produce.

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This is particularly true of IQF, or Individually Quick Frozen foods.

IQF foods are different from other frozen foods because each individual component is frozen. Think of loose peas, or corn, where the vegetables are frozen individually, rather than frozen together as one icy slab.

Check out the top five benefits of utilizing IQF.

1. The Obvious Benefit: Preservation

In addition to maintaining freshness, a top benefit of frozen foods you’re likely aware of is the preservative quality of freezing.

Frozen foods last in storage considerably longer than fresh goods. This is a vital trait for a bulk buyer or distribution company, as it means that your products will be preserved for a longer period of time.

Take, for example, perishable fruits and berries, such as raspberries. Freezing them could increase their shelf life for up to six months. This is beneficial if they are preserved through IQF methods, as it can be easy to portion out single berries into orders.

Provided you have enough frozen storage space to keep your frozen foods, this preservative quality makes them more desirable than selling fresh goods. It also means you will be reducing your overall food waste.

2. Using Frozen Foods Can Make Your Food More Nutritious for Customers

If you’re a chain restaurant, industrial food manufacturer, or a foodservice distributor, you might be put off at the idea of using frozen produce because of myths surrounding frozen food nutrition.

But the truth is that certain foods are more nutritionally beneficial for your customers if they’ve been frozen.

This is because frozen food is still fresh. As long as it is defrosted appropriately, it is as healthy as using fresh produce.

This means that frozen foods are often free of other preservatives, excess salt, or sodium which can be found in certain fresh goods. Frozen foods also retain all vitamins and minerals. This makes frozen vegetables, in particular, a healthy option despite the freezing process.

At SunLeaf Foods we sell various IQF vegetable packs that retain their nutritional benefits. As above, the IQF freezing method also makes it far easier to portion out ingredients for restaurants during service!

3. IQF Foods Are Cheaper

Many publications have commented on how frozen food is a cheaper alternative than fresh for individuals. Well, the same is true for bulk buyers!

This is where IQF products also show how superior they are to frozen goods. The ability to separate frozen products makes the usually challenging process of portioning frozen goods infinitely easier, as it’s been done already!

This can be beneficial for distributors as well as restaurants. You’re able to purchase several different IQF products, then combine them together into your own distribution packs.

This can be a cost-effective way to create a frozen fruit salad mix or a batch of mixed IQF potatoes. Though regular frozen goods are still cheaper, there are numerous other benefits to IQF products that make them a better option for companies.

4. Frozen Fruits and Frozen Vegetables Are Always in Season

Thanks to the preservative qualities of frozen foods, you can keep them fresh no matter the season. This is essential for seasonal produce, such as fruit and vegetables.

Let’s say you’re a restaurant that operates the same menu all year round. Or, you could be a distributor that always deals in the same produce.

You need tomatoes for your dishes, but they are only fresh for four months of the year. If you’re relying on fresh food, that means for two-thirds of the year you have no tomatoes to use or sell.

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With frozen foods, that’s no longer a concern. Tomatoes can be grown and picked in season, then frozen and preserved for months longer than they would normally. Then, once defrosted, they will retain their seasonal freshness.

You no longer have to cater your menu or trading to seasons, as you can get fresh produce through IQF produce year-round!

5. The Quality Is Maintained

The most glaring point that must be made about frozen food is that the quality is just as high as fresh food. Many now argue that buying frozen fish assures better quality than if you buy it fresh.

For restaurants who rely on the quality of their ingredients, many might shy away from using frozen produce. But thanks to new ways of freezing, like IQF, the argument of fresh being better is no longer a valid one.

Frozen blueberries, as another example, can have a boost in antioxidants when compared with eating fresh. This example is one of many that proves frozen goods are just as, if not more viable, of a quality option for companies today.

Where Can I Find High-Quality Frozen Foods?

You’re already in the right place if you’re looking for quality frozen foods. Here at SunLeaf, we’re a chain supplier of quality fruit and vegetables for restaurants, distributors, and other bulk buyers.

We specialize in IQF foods that retain their freshness, nutritional benefits, and taste.

What are IQF Fruits?

Before delving into IQF Fruits, Let us understand what IQF means. IQF stands for Individual Quick Freezing. It is a type of freezing where the fruits and vegetables are frozen at extremely low temperatures, between -30°C and -40°C. 

This freezing method ensures each piece of the fruits and vegetables is frozen individually without allowing them to stick together. Freezing at these temperatures prevents the formation of large ice crystals, which can damage the cell walls of fruits and vegetables.

Methods of freezing Fruits – Conventional and IQF 

Conventional freezing involves freezing fruits and vegetables on a tray or a container and allowing them to freeze slowly. It is an inexpensive and straightforward method. However, it can result in the formation of large ice crystals that lead to the loss of colour, flavour, and texture of the fruit or vegetable.

IQF freezing involves rapidly freezing the individual pieces of fruit or vegetables in a blast freezer. This rapid freezing minimizes the formation of ice crystals, preserving the fruit’s nutrients. This freezing method is best suited for producing smaller products like fruits, vegetables, and fruit chunks to grow IQF-frozen fruits or vegetables.

Frozen fruits – Freezing methods 

IQF is also called flash freezing, quick freezing, super freezing or cryogenic freezing. The name varies depending on the type of medium the freezing method uses. Most IQF frozen fruit suppliers use mechanical freezing due to low energy consumption and lower operating costs. ABC Fruits’s IQF plant has an automated freezing method that produces 5 tons of IQF frozen fruits.

Mechanical freezing: This method involves suspending fruits and vegetables in a stream of cold air, causing them to freeze individually and quickly. This type of freezing has evolved over the years to freeze the fruits with less damage, making it the most preferred freezing method.

Cryogenic freezing: This method utilizes liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide to flash-freeze fruits and vegetables at extremely low temperatures. This method is more efficient. However, using nitrogen makes it expensive.

Advantages and Benefits of IQF Fruits

• One of the most significant benefits of IQF Fruits is that they preserve the fruit’s freshness, colour, flavour, and nutritional value.
• Convenience: IQF fruit is easy to use and can be added to smoothies, yoghurt, cereal, and other dishes without thawing.
• Longer shelf life: IQF Fruits can be stored for up to 24 months from manufacturing at -18 °C without losing quality.
• Nutritional value: Since the products are frozen immediately after the harvesting process, IQF fruit retains all of its nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• Preserve flavour: IQF fruits retain the flavour of fresh fruit. In some cases, they may be more flavourful than fresh fruits due to the preservation of volatile flavour compounds during freezing.
• Availability: Since the tropical fruits are seasonal, IQF fruits are available all round the year when stored under
• Reduced cooking time: IQF Fruits can often be cooked from frozen with minimal thawing, saving time and effort.

Applications of IQF Fruits

Food Service: IQF Fruits are widely used in culinary creations. It is also used in frozen desserts, smoothies, and salads.

Dairy: IQF fruits are a vital ingredient in ice cream and yoghurt, providing fresh and fruity flavour. IQF fruits can be added to ice cream in whole form and diced.

Processed food: IQF fruits are used in various processed foods, such as granola bars, breakfast cereals, and fruit snacks. IQF fruits are added to processed foods to provide them with a fresh and fruity flavour and texture.

Nutritional supplements: IQF fruits are used in various dietary supplements, such as smoothies, shakes, and powders. IQF fruits are a convenient and concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Freeze-dried products: IQF Fruits can also be used as a raw ingredient for freeze-dried products. It is also essential to use a freeze-dryer specifically designed for fruits, as these machines typically have a lower drying temperature that can help prevent browning.

Examples of IQF fruits 

For more information, please visit Are Frozen Fruits And Vegetables As Good As Fresh.