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What makes one allergic to Shrimps?

First off, what are allergies? Now your body is a working machine and has these wonderful soldiers (immune system) constantly protecting our body from foreign objects (substance). Great right, but not if our immune system reacts to the slightest thing that may be harmless to most people and mistake it for a harmful object.

Substances or lack of better term allergens, that cause allergic reactions are dust, dust mites, pollen, mold, pets, cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, insects, medicines, and chemicals.

These allergies can be passed down through genes or developed throughout the years. I for one used to enjoy good old cow’s milk and as I got older (in the 30’s) I became Lactose Intolerant. While on the other hand, I was born with seasonal allergies which have now passed on to my kids as well. So allergies can come out of nowhere or just be a pain in your entire life’s existence.

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IQF – What does this really mean?

IQF — Individually Quick Frozen

This is basically a flash freezing process within minutes versus hours long of freezing same product.

The benefits of flash freezing are it prevents large ice crystals from forming on the product, which can destroy the outer skin cells. Short freezing allows the product to maintain its smell, taste, color, and shape far beyond the defrosting stage. This process also gives the consumer the option to defrost exactly needed portion at the time.

There are varieties on how manufacturers utilize the freezing technique to preserve products. These include blast freezing, plate freezing, belt-tunnel freezing, fluidized-bed freezing, dehydrofreezing, and cryogenic freezing. Many factors with products help determine the best possible freezing solution. The choice depends on the kind of vegetable and/or seafood that has to be frozen, the quality of end product desired, whether or not you’re going to sell the product as bulk or as individuals, and capital limitations.  

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