What is IQF (Individual Quick Freezing)?

IQF stands for individual quick freezing. It’s a freezing method that prevents big ice crystals from forming within a food product. As the term implies, IQF freezes each piece of food individually, keeping them separate from each other and preventing clumping.

How Does IQF Work?

IQF freezes food products in a very short period. For instance, while freezing meat using conventional freezing normally takes hours to complete, IQF can accomplish this in just 90 minutes or less. This bypasses the zone in which ice crystals form — between 30 ºF to 25 ºF.

This extremely fast freezing process results in foods being much higher in quality. In case you’re wondering, there are lots of products you can freeze through IQF technology!

Our Individual Quick Freeze Process

Watch our IQF freezing process from start to finish at Empire Freezing & Drying.

Benefits of IQF

Freezing products quickly at extremely low temperatures saves time, ensures superior quality, and allows for foods to be consumed in smaller portions.

Fruits, veggies, and more

Typical flash frozen foods include but are not limited to fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, grains, breakfast foods, cheese, and fries. Got a custom product that require IQF? Contact us and we’ll discuss.

Fresh and tasty foods

It’s no surprise that restaurants and food brands are taking advantage of IQF technology. It retains the nutritional value and flavor of products. From the time we freeze your products to when you serve them to customers, you can be sure that they remain fresh. Speaking of freshness, we can even incorporate fruit particulates into your product!

Avoid leftovers

Instead of one solid block, foods and liquids are frozen separately, allowing for portion control and reduced food wastage. IQF is a great choice for restaurant owners to avoid leftovers. Another benefit of IQF as a food waste solution is that gives products an extended shelf life!

Reduce packaging

Benefit from lower costs with reduced packaging, thanks to IQF. Instead of individually-wrapped items, you can keep everything in the same container without having to worry about individual foods (for example, green peas and strawberries) sticking together.

Popular IQF Products

There’s an amazing variety of items that can be processed using IQF.
iqf sauce chips
Sauce chips
iqf smoothie
Smoothie chips
iqf puree chips
Puree chips

Why Choose Us for Your IQF Needs?

Empire Freezing & Drying offers over 35 years of expertise.

Serve Health Conscious Consumers

Offering meals, smoothies, or any product that appeals to health conscious individuals? Empire Freezing & Drying’s IQF process doesn’t involve the use of preservatives. Plus, you’ll have the option to fortify your product with vitamins, minerals, or live cultures for an added boost.

Product Development

We’re your go-to source if you need help creating a unique recipe for your consumers. From custom sauces to smoothies, Empire Freezing & Drying is fully equipped to turn your product idea into reality. Let’s think outside the box.

Proven Track Record

Our team has served the biggest companies in the food and beverage industry. There’s a limited number of IQF processing providers to choose from, plus you’ll need professionals who can work closely with you to create innovative, healthy, and delicious products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are common questions and answers relating to individual quick freezing.
Each of our standard IQF chips measures 1 and ½ inches long and ½ inch wide. This is applicable to a wide range of products, including sauces, smoothies, soups, purees, and other liquids.
Think speed and quality. As an extremely fast freezing method, it prevents large ice crystals from forming so that your product maintains its freshness, taste, and color when it defrosts.
Absolutely. It can be the solution you need to offer higher quality products (minus the risks of food spoilage and high costs of packaging) regardless of whether you’re in the plant-based market, weight loss market, bakery products market, and more.
Yes! We are capable of fortifying IQF products with protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and live cultures to boost their nutrient profiles.