Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption
Abstract This study employed the Taguchi technique to investigate the influence of various liquid nitrogen quick-freezing parameters on litchi fruit cracking, nitrogen consumption, and freezing time. The experiments included testing different freezing temperatures (− 40, − 50, − 60, and − 70 °C), tw...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95215-3 |
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| author | Mohamed Anwer Abdeen Zeyong Zheng Xiaojin Cheng Baiqing Yu Chongyang Han Yong Cao Wenquan Huang Ali Salem Alaa Awny Weibin Wu |
| author_facet | Mohamed Anwer Abdeen Zeyong Zheng Xiaojin Cheng Baiqing Yu Chongyang Han Yong Cao Wenquan Huang Ali Salem Alaa Awny Weibin Wu |
| author_sort | Mohamed Anwer Abdeen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study employed the Taguchi technique to investigate the influence of various liquid nitrogen quick-freezing parameters on litchi fruit cracking, nitrogen consumption, and freezing time. The experiments included testing different freezing temperatures (− 40, − 50, − 60, and − 70 °C), two types of nitrogen spraying nozzles (Hollow-cone and Full-cone), and two fan speeds (800 and 1200 rpm). Before freezing, the litchis were soaked in a solution and precooled as a pre-treatment to mitigate peel cracking and preserve quality. The results revealed that the crack ratio, freezing time, and nitrogen consumption decreased as temperature and fan speed increased. Among the nozzle types, Full-cone nozzles exhibited superior performance, achieving reductions of more than 15% in crack ratio, over 8% in freezing time, and more than 4% in nitrogen consumption compared to Hollow-cone nozzles. The predicted values derived from the Taguchi method showed strong alignment with the experimental data, validating the robustness of the optimization approach. This study contributes novel insights to the field of food freezing technology by introducing an innovative method for minimizing fruit cracking during freezing without the need for packaging. The findings also highlight the potential for reducing freezing time, operational costs, and nitrogen usage, offering practical implications for the food processing industry. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-01a80651addc42ca892d7dce2eefe198 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-01a80651addc42ca892d7dce2eefe1982025-08-20T03:04:50ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-95215-3Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumptionMohamed Anwer Abdeen0Zeyong Zheng1Xiaojin Cheng2Baiqing Yu3Chongyang Han4Yong Cao5Wenquan Huang6Ali Salem7Alaa Awny8Weibin Wu9College of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural UniversityGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural UniversityCivil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Minia UniversityAgricultural Engineering Department, College of Agriculture, Zagazig UniversityCollege of Engineering, South China Agricultural UniversityAbstract This study employed the Taguchi technique to investigate the influence of various liquid nitrogen quick-freezing parameters on litchi fruit cracking, nitrogen consumption, and freezing time. The experiments included testing different freezing temperatures (− 40, − 50, − 60, and − 70 °C), two types of nitrogen spraying nozzles (Hollow-cone and Full-cone), and two fan speeds (800 and 1200 rpm). Before freezing, the litchis were soaked in a solution and precooled as a pre-treatment to mitigate peel cracking and preserve quality. The results revealed that the crack ratio, freezing time, and nitrogen consumption decreased as temperature and fan speed increased. Among the nozzle types, Full-cone nozzles exhibited superior performance, achieving reductions of more than 15% in crack ratio, over 8% in freezing time, and more than 4% in nitrogen consumption compared to Hollow-cone nozzles. The predicted values derived from the Taguchi method showed strong alignment with the experimental data, validating the robustness of the optimization approach. This study contributes novel insights to the field of food freezing technology by introducing an innovative method for minimizing fruit cracking during freezing without the need for packaging. The findings also highlight the potential for reducing freezing time, operational costs, and nitrogen usage, offering practical implications for the food processing industry.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95215-3Nitrogen quick freezingLitchi fruitFood processingFreezing tunnelFruit crackTaguchi method |
| spellingShingle | Mohamed Anwer Abdeen Zeyong Zheng Xiaojin Cheng Baiqing Yu Chongyang Han Yong Cao Wenquan Huang Ali Salem Alaa Awny Weibin Wu Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption Scientific Reports Nitrogen quick freezing Litchi fruit Food processing Freezing tunnel Fruit crack Taguchi method |
| title | Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption |
| title_full | Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption |
| title_short | Enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for Litchi fruit: a Taguchi-based approach to reduce cracking, time, and nitrogen consumption |
| title_sort | enhancing rapid nitrogen freezer performance for litchi fruit a taguchi based approach to reduce cracking time and nitrogen consumption |
| topic | Nitrogen quick freezing Litchi fruit Food processing Freezing tunnel Fruit crack Taguchi method |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95215-3 |
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