{"id":102092,"date":"2026-08-04T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intarcon.com\/?p=102092"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:45:15","slug":"ice-cream-refrigeration-industrial-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intarcon.com\/en\/ice-cream-refrigeration-industrial-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Refrigeration in the Ice Cream Industry: Technology, Efficiency and Control to Preserve Quality"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Ice cream sales in Spain are estimated to be growing at a rate of 13% in value terms and 8% in volume, according to an article published by ElEconomista<\/a>.<\/p>

In ice cream manufacturing, refrigeration plays an active role in the production process. Temperature, freezing rate, air circulation and thermal stability have a direct influence on texture, creaminess, melt resistance and shelf life.<\/p>

For this reason, the refrigeration system must be designed taking the entire process into account, not just the cold rooms. The refrigeration plant must simultaneously cover mix cooling and ageing, freezing, rapid hardening, product storage and air conditioning of the work areas.<\/p>

Refrigeration as a technological ingredient in ice cream<\/h2>

Ice cream is a complex structure made up of frozen water, a concentrated liquid phase, fat, proteins and incorporated air. During manufacture, the objective is not simply to lower the temperature, but to control how ice crystals form and how the emulsion is stabilised.<\/p>

The industrial process normally includes mixing, pasteurisation, homogenisation, cooling, ageing, dynamic freezing, forming, hardening and storage. After pasteurisation, the mix must be cooled rapidly to the ageing temperature. As a technological guideline, it is kept below 5 \u00b0C for at least four hours, promoting the hydration of proteins and stabilisers and the partial crystallisation of the fat. Insufficient ageing can lead to difficulties in incorporating air, texture defects and faster melting.<\/p>

Continuous freezing is at the heart of the process. In the freezer, the mix is cooled while being agitated and air is incorporated, forming a semi-fluid structure. Approximately half of the water may be frozen at the outlet, so the product still requires subsequent hardening.<\/p>

Fast hardening: the key to a fine texture<\/strong><\/h2>

Ice crystal size is one of the main indicators of quality. Fast freezing produces small crystals and a creamier mouthfeel, whereas slow heat removal promotes the formation of larger crystals and a coarser texture.<\/p>

The hardening tunnel must provide very low temperatures, high air velocity and uniform air distribution over the entire product. In industrial processes, the air temperature may be around \u201340 \u00b0C. The aim is to quickly increase the frozen water fraction and reduce the time during which the ice cream remains within a critical temperature range. On certain production lines, hardening is considered complete when at least 80% of the water is frozen.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>

Installing a high cooling capacity is not enough. The design must prevent airflow short-circuiting, dead zones and temperature differences between trays, racks or product levels. Evaporator selection, air throw, available fan pressure and the defrost system are just as important as the rated cooling capacity.<\/p>

INTARCON\u2019s <\/strong>KV series<\/strong><\/a> wall-mounted evaporator units<\/strong> are designed for freezing tunnels, with high-airflow fans and high available pressure, configurations adaptable to racks, and versions prepared for different refrigerants.<\/p>

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INTARCON refrigeration solutions for the ice cream industry<\/h2>

An ice cream factory has different refrigeration loads: preparation and ageing require positive temperatures, storage cold rooms require low temperatures, while freezers and tunnels require more demanding evaporating temperatures.<\/p>

This diversity means that the refrigeration architecture must be carefully assessed, with options including glycol or brine systems, direct expansion, CO\u2082, low-charge ammonia or hybrid solutions. The configuration will depend on refrigeration capacity, load simultaneity, evaporating temperatures, climate, factory layout, process criticality and possibilities for future expansion.<\/p>

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Indirect systems with R290: flexibility and low refrigerant charge<\/h3>

In process applications, indirect systems allow the primary refrigerant to remain contained within a compact plant while cooling energy is distributed using glycol or brine. This solution makes it easier to distribute refrigeration to ageing tanks, heat exchangers, work areas and air coolers, reducing the amount of refrigerant circulating inside the factory.<\/p>

INTARCON\u2019s intarCUBE R290<\/a><\/strong> and intarWatt R290<\/a><\/strong> plants are designed to produce chilled water, glycol or brine with a reduced propane charge. The Full INVERTER<\/strong> versions modulate compressor capacity and adapt refrigeration output to variable demand, which is particularly useful when shifts, batches and the number of production lines in operation change.<\/p>

This modulation reduces starts and stops, improves supply temperature stability and can reduce energy consumption during part-load periods. Certain configurations also allow heat recovery to produce hot water for cleaning, auxiliary services or preheating.<\/p>

CO\u2082 solutions for the ice cream industry<\/h3>

INTARCON offers various CO\u2082 (R744)<\/a><\/strong> solutions to meet the refrigeration requirements of an ice cream factory, from storage cold rooms to freezing tunnels:<\/p>