A recent visit to an IQF processing plant producing frozen tropical fruit for foodservice and processing buyers across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Four key stages observed:
1. Reception and preparation
– Fresh fruit graded, washed, peeled, and cut to buyer specification.
– Brix sampling to confirm sweetness specification.
– Metal detection and foreign materialremoval.
2. IQF freezing tunnel
– Fruit pieces individually quick-frozen on a continuous belt at -35°C or below.
– Rapid freezing preserves cell structure, texture, and colour.
– Pieces remain separate, allowing flexible portioning by the buyer.
3. Glazing and quality control
– Optional water glazing to protect against freezer burn.
– Finished product checked for size uniformity, colour, and ice crystal formation.
– Microbiological sampling per food safety plan.
4. Cold storage and dispatch
– Finished IQF held at -18°C or below in controlled cold storage.
– Reefer container pre-cooling verified before loading.
– Batch traceability and temperature logs maintained for buyer verification.
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports exceeded USD 1.5 billion in Q1 2026, with processed and frozen categories a growing share. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, 2026)
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