What is it? Can it revolutionize the restaurant industry?
Ken Molina
3/2/2012
Culn 271, Chef Dean Louie
When given the option of fresh or frozen, the preferred choice is always fresh. Imagine if all the subtle textures of an organically raised free-range chicken could be preserved, shipped and marketed anywhere in the world? The CAS freezing system offers just that: perfect preservation of food over long periods of time.
The ability to freeze food was a major breakthrough in society. Food that previously had to be salted or pickled could now be kept in its original form. By 1890, cold storage by mechanical refrigeration was established. Meat and fish could now be stored successfully. That was a great discovery at the time. There were a few inherent problems with the traditional method of freezing. First, not all of the bacteria in foods are destroyed. Second, the formation of ice crystals damaged the cell structure causing foods to “weep.” This loss of liquid also meant a loss of nutrients. Third, foods start to break down after several months of storage.
What if there was a method of freezing that solved all of these problems? Enter 60 year old Norio Owada, an engineering genius and second-generation freezing equipment manufacturer who “envisions a world where food can be stockpiled for years without going bad or losing its nutritional value.” Conventional freezing suffers from a basic flaw: as product freezes from the outside in, ice forms, insulating the center from the cold. Single ice crystals attach to other ice crystals creating large networks of sharp crystals waiting to puncture innocent cell walls. Rather than trying to beat these physics, Owada and a Japanese technology company, ABI, has developed CAS or Cells Alive System that actually changes the physics of freezing.
CAS freezing works on the simple principle that water molecules cannot cluster and form cell wall damaging ice crystals if they are in motion during the freezing process. CAS uses a rotating electrical field to spin water molecules. The spinning motion prevents water molecules from clustering. The spinning motion also artificially lowers the freezing point of water. When it reaches this temperature, the electrical field is turned off and the product is frozen almost instantaneously from the inside out. The system poses no health risks as it is comparable to the earth’s magnetic field and generates the same amount of energy as a cell phone. A side benefit to this process is that it uses 30% less power than conventional freezers and the process can be up to 5 times faster.
So what do you do with the product once it’s frozen? This is where the hitch is. The CAS freezer is backed up with a CAS stocker, which operates on the same basic principle and continually applies a low level harmonic oscillating magnetic field to the food. The magnetic field also attacks any bacteria present in the food and keeps it at manageable levels. The stocker also reduces oxidization by 98% and the CAS stocker operates at a higher temperature. Tuna stored in a conventional freezer has an expected shelf life of one year before oxidization takes its toll on fats. A CAS stocker operating more economically can store tuna for two years without loss to its original flavor, texture and aroma. When CAS frozen foods are thawed, they display no “weep” and essentially look like fresh product.
In terms of culinary use, CAS is more than just a new invention in the lab. It is already being used in Alaska to preserve cod roe. The French are using it to preserve delicate doughs, fois grois, duck meat, truffles and similar product. CAS allows food to be kept in near perfect condition such luxury foods which have short seasons. It is being used widely in Japan for freezing sushi ingredients. Customers are surprised and delighted that they can order out of season dishes that still taste fresh.
CAS can be important for food security. When there are food borne illness outbreaks or diseases such as bird flu, entire herds must be slaughtered or destroyed and disposed of. There is little opportunity for food wholesalers to provide a continuous supply of a particular staple and entire sectors of the economy can be damaged. Just as there are strategic oil reserves in times of war, Owada envisions a strategic food reserve.
Is CAS for everyone? The cost of a basic CAS unit is $500,000. This is about 20-100% more expensive than a conventional freezer unit. However, normally frozen foods have to be dumped after three to twelve months and it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good, the value could be recouped through the products longer shelf life and sale-ability. Is it worthwhile for Shiek’s to invest in one? Probably not. Maybe the Grand Wailea would want to look into this.
Citations:
Simplot Australia, Educational Resources; Freezing, October 2006
IHS News & Analysis; Food Engineering – The re-invention of the freezer?, July 2006
Japan.inc; Preservation Perfected: CAS Benefits, Graeme Glen, December 15, 2005, Magazine #66
Japan.inc; Out of the Ice Age: Technology to freeze by, John Dodd, July 2004
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