Flash freezing

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Flash freezing refers to the application of supercooling in various kinds of industries whereby objects are quickly frozen by subjecting them to cryogenic temperatures.

For example, flash freezing is used in the food industry to quickly freeze perishable food items (see frozen food). In this case, food items are subjected to temperatures well below its melting/freezing point (273.15K or 0°C), causing the water inside the foods to freeze in a very short period of time. See supercooling for the further details of this process.

A supercooled liquid will stay in a liquid state beyond the normal freezing point when it has less opportunity for nucleation; that is, if it is pure enough and has a smooth enough container. Once agitated it will very rapidly change state into a solid.

American inventor Clarence Birdseye developed the quick-freezing process of food preservation in the early 20th century.