② High-Maneuverability Freeze Concentration Equipment
Freeze concentration has the following advantages over other concentration technologies such as evaporation and membrane filtration:
1) It maintains the relative proportions of each solute in the mother solutions to produce the highest quality concentrates.
2) It enables concentration of heat-sensitive substances, such as enzymes and vitamins, as well as effervescent solutions like those from vegetables.
3) It is an energy-efficient technology:
・The latent heat required for the solidification of water is one-seventh of that required for evaporation.
・The operating energy for refrigeration is between half and one-tenth of the latent heat necessary for solidification.
Existing freeze concentration equipment, however, faces several problems:
1) It lacks operational flexibility, making it challenging to quickly produce concentrates at desired concentrations or to operate intermittently. This problem is shared with other types of concentration equipment, such as evaporators and membrane filters.
2) It involves complex configurations and operations, resulting in a low throughput for the equipment size and high initial costs, which is problematic when high concentrations are needed.
Our patented new freeze-concentration equipment addresses and solves these problems, enhancing maneuverability and efficiency.
This new equipment is capable of producing highly concentrated, natural, mineral-balanced solutions for use in dishes, processed foods and functional beverages from deep-sea water. Furthermore, the mineral solutions can be made into new salts with novel flavors.
The mineral solutions are particularly rich in the essential nutrient magnesium (Mg), and maintain a good balance with calcium (Ca), with a ratio of Ca/Mg≦2. This helps to improve the following health problems:
1) Mg is an important nutrient for immunity against pathogens, such as viruses. However, its intake is considered inadequate (M. J. Lenardo et al., JEM 2019). In addition, inadequate Mg intake increases the risk of serious diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes (Costello R. B. et al., Key indicators. Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care. 2017).
2) Inadequate Ca intake is also a cause of important diseases, such as myocardial infarction, osteoporosis, and senile dementia. In addition, a Ca/Mg intake ≧2 increases the risk of heart disease. Ca also reduces the bitterness of Mg and the saltiness of NaCl, giving the mineral solutions milder tastes.
3) Na intake is excessive worldwide, and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing Na intake to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and other health problems.
4) In the new mineral solutions, the minerals are in ionized forms. This means that the body absorbs the minerals more easily, making the new mineral solutions suitable for elderly people, who have lower absorption rates of minerals.
Solt for culinary purposes
Advances in elemental machines and control
technologies for freeze concentration equipment
Example of mineral contents of freeze-concentrated solution from Deep Sea Water
Production of Mg mineral solutions
for immunity
