Equipment for manufacturing pellets of liquid or pasty products, comprising a tunnel and comprising a conveyor belt capable of transporting the product to be processed in the equipment along a processing path that passes through the various zones of the equipment, wherein the conveyor belt is equipped with unitary moulds, or else unitary moulds are formed in the structure of the conveyor belt, wherein the equipment comprises a pellet demoulding zone situated at the outlet of the tunnel or immediately downstream of the outlet of the tunnel, the demoulding zone operating in a rotation zone of the conveyor, and wherein the structure of the belt allows each pellet to be automatically demoulded by ejection, the ejection being effected by a given element of the structure of the conveyor belt on account of opposing forces being applied to the walls of the mould in the demoulding zone.

Equipment for manufacturing pellets of liquid or pasty products, comprising a tunnel and comprising a conveyor belt capable of transporting the product to be processed in the equipment along a processing path that passes through the various zones of the equipment, wherein the conveyor belt is equipped with unitary moulds, or else unitary moulds are formed in the structure of the conveyor belt, wherein the equipment comprises a pellet demoulding zone situated at the outlet of the tunnel or immediately downstream of the outlet of the tunnel, the demoulding zone operating in a rotation zone of the conveyor, and wherein the structure of the belt allows each pellet to be automatically demoulded by ejection, the ejection being effected by a given element of the structure of the conveyor belt on account of opposing forces being applied to the walls of the mould in the demoulding zone.

Method for determining the temperature of products transported on the conveyor belt of a cryogenic tunnel, comprising the following steps: continuously measuring the surface temperature of products travelling on the conveyor belt; measuring the thickness of a product at the point where the temperature measurement is taken; performing the following evaluation: a. when the thickness of the product is within a certain range, then the temperature measured for said product is considered to be a reliable value; b. when the thickness of the product is outside the range, then the last temperature value of the measured product is considered to be a reliable value according to paragraph a) above; c. after a determined period of time during which the measured thickness is outside the range, it is concluded that there are no products on the conveyor belt and the temperature measurements are no longer taken into account.

Method for determining the temperature of products transported on the conveyor belt of a cryogenic tunnel, comprising the following steps: continuously measuring the surface temperature of products travelling on the conveyor belt; measuring the thickness of a product at the point where the temperature measurement is taken; performing the following evaluation: a. when the thickness of the product is within a certain range, then the temperature measured for said product is considered to be a reliable value; b. when the thickness of the product is outside the range, then the last temperature value of the measured product is considered to be a reliable value according to paragraph a) above; c. after a determined period of time during which the measured thickness is outside the range, it is concluded that there are no products on the conveyor belt and the temperature measurements are no longer taken into account.

Methods and vitrification systems for biological samples are provided. The vitrification system has a rotatable cryowheel (210) with a facing surface (220). Droplets of a composition that includes a biological sample are released onto the facing surface. Droplets are rapidly pulled beneath the surface of the cryogenic coolant (160) to generate vitrified samples (180). Methods and cryopreservation devices are also provided that incorporate the vitrification systems.

Methods and vitrification systems for biological samples are provided. The vitrification system has a rotatable cryowheel (210) with a facing surface (220). Droplets of a composition that includes a biological sample are released onto the facing surface. Droplets are rapidly pulled beneath the surface of the cryogenic coolant (160) to generate vitrified samples (180). Methods and cryopreservation devices are also provided that incorporate the vitrification systems.

A food freezer includes: a first housing having a first chamber arranged internally within for providing a freezing gas to a food product within the first chamber; a second housing having a second chamber arranged internally within and being in fluid communication with the first chamber for exhausting the freezing gas from the first chamber; an adjustable opening disposed at a common wall between the first chamber and the second chamber for controlling a flow of the freezing gas moving from the first chamber to the second chamber, the adjustable opening disposed to provide a flow path for the flow of the freezing gas to a region of the second chamber for exhaust from said second chamber to an area external to the first housing and second housing; and a pressure curtain comprising the exhaust and disposed at the second chamber to prevent atmosphere from the area external to the first housing and second housing from entering said housings. A related method of exhausting freezing gas is also provided.

Disclosed are methodology and apparatus for freezing the exterior crust of products, such as food products, in a manner that does not cause the exterior of the product to adhere to the surface on which it is placed during or after the freezing.

Disclosed are methodology and apparatus for freezing the exterior crust of products, such as food products, in a manner that does not cause the exterior of the product to adhere to the surface on which it is placed during or after the freezing.

A system for providing a desired amount of cooling to a quantity of non-liquid conveyable product in a vessel within a given length of residence time including: (A) continuously feeding a mass of the product into, through and out of a vessel, at a rate that provides a predetermined length of residence time, wherein the product is moved through the vessel by engagement thereof with an impeller; and (B) feeding cryogen out of a plurality of nozzle openings directly into or onto the product in the vessel while the impeller is moving the product continuously past the nozzle openings, wherein the cryogen is fed into said non-liquid conveyable product from a sufficient number of nozzle openings to provide the desired amount of cooling to the product within the given period of residence time, and wherein the flow of cryogen out of each nozzle opening is continuous or intermittent.