What is Initial Freezing Point (IFP)?
What is Initial Freezing Point (IFP)?
- Initial Freezing Point (IFP) is the temperature at which a liquid freezes or becomes solid: the freezing point of water is 32°F or 0°C
- Initial Freezing Point is the temperature in at any fixed pressure at which the liquid and solid phases of a substance of specified composition is in equilibrium
- Foods and beverages do not freeze completely at a single temperature, but rather over a range of temperatures between 0°C (32°F) and Initial Freezing Point (IFP). In fact, foods high in sugar content or packed in high syrup concentrations may never be completely frozen, even at typical frozen food storage temperatures. Thus, there is not a distinct freezing point for foods and beverages, but an initial freezing point at which crystallization begins.
- The initial freezing point of a food or beverage is important not only for determining the food’s proper storage conditions, but also for calculating thermos physical properties. During storage of fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, the commodity temperature must be kept above its initial freezing point to avoid freezing damage. In addition, because there are drastic changes in the thermos physical properties of foods as they freeze, a food’s initial freezing point must be known to model its thermos physical properties accurately.
- The initial freezing points of most foods are between - 0.5°C and – 2.8°C
