The effect of temperature on living matter
Industrial applications of refrigeration . General

The use of refrigeration in the food industry is of vital importance to this activity. Two functions can be identified in this use:

• cold-processing: this function involves the cold transformation of raw products to obtain a final product with the desired nutritional and sensory qualities. A wide variety of industries are involved, including beverages (especially wine and beer), dairy products and, for freeze-drying applications, very specific products such as coffee and high value-added products (mushrooms, etc.);

• Cold maintenance: this function also includes refrigeration or freezing operations, prior to product storage. The purpose of maintaining food products at the right temperature for a given period is to preserve their...