Allcold configures cooling equipment around the product, load, target temperature, utility conditions, and production flow. Compare six system families for fresh produce, bakery, cooked food, automatic lines, soups, sauces, and other liquid foods.
Start with the product and workflow, not the machine name. Palletized vegetables, bread trolleys, prepared-food trays, pumpable sauces, and automated kettle lines have different loading, heat-transfer, hygiene, vapor, and capacity requirements. A defensible selection needs the actual product, batch or hourly output, inlet and target temperature, loading format, available utilities, and site layout.
Not every Allcold product uses the same cooling principle. The micro soup-and-sauce rapid cooler uses direct heat exchange. Tap water can be used for its initial cooling stage when site water temperature is suitable; that statement does not apply to every vacuum cooling system.
Each route below solves a different loading or production problem. Published capacities and cycle ranges are starting points for engineering discussion, not universal guarantees.
For leafy greens, broccoli, herbs, mushrooms, flowers, asparagus, and other products that need fast field-heat removal before cold storage or transport.
For bread, buns, selected pastries, cooked rice, noodles, meat, poultry, prepared meals, catering, and central-kitchen batches.
For production lines that need automated transfer from the upstream process through cooling and into downstream handling without trolley queues.
Square or round top-opening configurations for kettle, hoist, basket, retort, or automated loading workflows, including project-specific cook-and-cool integration.
For pumpable soups, sauces, broths, curries, purées, and viscous foods requiring engineered vapor handling, controlled pressure reduction, hygienic transfer, and optional CIP.
For smaller barrels or vessels cooled through an immersed heat-exchange assembly with product movement. This route does not use vacuum flash evaporation.
Use this table to identify the right starting point. Final configuration depends on product trials and project data.
| System family | Best starting fit | Loading / flow | Capacity logic | Main validation focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh produce vacuum cooler | Leafy vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, flowers | Pallets, crates, cartons | Pallets or kg per batch; hourly throughput | Product moisture, packaging airflow, field temperature, target core temperature |
| Bakery and cooked-food vacuum cooler | Bread, rice, noodles, ready meals, meat and poultry | Trays, racks, trolleys, containers | Tray or trolley count; kg per batch; production rhythm | Recipe behavior, core temperature, moisture loss, texture, loading uniformity |
| Automatic continuous line | High-throughput production with limited buffer space | Conveyor or automated transfer | Hourly throughput and upstream/downstream takt time | Line balance, transfer, controls, guarding, chamber modules, recovery time |
| Top-opening / integrated system | Kettle, basket, retort, hoist, or automated vessel workflows | Top-loaded baskets, vessels, or project-specific carriers | Vessel geometry, batch size, handling sequence | Lifting interface, sealing, drainage, cleanability, access, automation |
| Continuous liquid-food vacuum system | Pumpable soups, sauces, broths, curries, purées | Vessel and hygienic pipeline transfer | Litres per batch or hour; recipe and vapor load | Foam, carry-over, viscosity, vapor capacity, concentration, yield, CIP |
| Micro soup and sauce rapid cooler | Smaller barrels of pumpable or semi-liquid food | Dedicated barrel with immersed cooling assembly | Litres per batch; barrel depth; water temperature | Direct heat transfer, product movement, particulates, sanitation, final temperature |
Cooling-cycle and capacity figures shown in product literature are selection references. Confirm performance against the actual product, load, initial and target temperatures, recipe, packaging, and site utilities.
A product name alone is not enough for defensible sizing. Send the following information so the first recommendation is based on your real production conditions.
Product name, recipe or moisture characteristics, viscosity, particulates, and packaging.
Kg or litres per batch, batches per hour, pallets, trays, racks, or trolleys.
Product inlet temperature, required endpoint, allowable cycle, and release criteria.
Pallet, carton, tray, trolley, vessel, barrel, conveyor, or other handling dimensions.
Voltage, frequency, cooling-water temperature, steam, compressed air, drainage, and ventilation.
Available footprint, door route, layout drawing, cleaning method, CIP, and validation requirements.
Allcold reviews product behavior, loading, utilities, space, hygiene, and throughput before finalizing a system configuration.
Product, load, temperature, quality, and food-safety requirements.
Chamber, vessel, vacuum, refrigeration, heat exchange, controls, and loading.
Footprint, door route, conveyors, platforms, drainage, access, and utilities.
Manufacturing, inspection, documentation, shipment, and commissioning support.
These answers define the selection boundary before model-level engineering begins.
Selection starts with the product, batch or hourly output, loading format, inlet and target temperature, available utilities, and production workflow. Fresh produce, bread, ready meals, liquid foods, and continuous lines do not use the same sizing logic.
No. Most product families use vacuum cooling, but the micro soup-and-sauce rapid cooler uses direct heat exchange with an immersed cooling assembly. It should not be described as a vacuum flash-cooling machine.
Tap water can provide the first cooling stage when its actual seasonal temperature is suitable. Ice water or a chiller may be needed for a lower endpoint. This utility statement applies to the micro direct-heat-exchange route, not every Allcold system.
Yes. Chamber size, door arrangement, trolley or pallet format, conveyors, vessel geometry, controls, and electrical specifications can be reviewed around the project requirements.
No universal cycle time applies to every product. Published ranges are selection references. Final performance must be confirmed against the product, load, initial temperature, target temperature, recipe, packaging, and site utilities.
Send the product, capacity, loading format, inlet and target temperature, utilities, project country, and available layout. Allcold will review the application before recommending a configuration.
