Indonesian IQF Vegetables: Spiral vs Fluidized (2026 Guide)

A buyer-side playbook to minimize breakage and clumping in Indonesian IQF vegetables. When to choose spiral vs fluidized bed, acceptance limits for broken and fines, free-flow tests at receiving, drop/shipping simulations, glaze guidance, packaging tweaks, and purchase-spec wording you can copy.

If you buy or develop IQF vegetables, you know the pain. The sample is perfect. The container lands. Then your team opens pallet one and finds broken beans, carrot corners turned to crumbs, and half the bags clumped. The factory blames shipping. The forwarder blames the factory. Meanwhile your customer wants credits.

Here’s the playbook we use in Indonesia to prevent that scenario. It’s focused on one decision that drives most outcomes: spiral vs fluidized bed. And it gives you concrete acceptance limits and tests you can run the day product arrives.

Spiral vs fluidized: what actually breaks pieces?

Spiral tunnel freezers move product on a continuous belt around a drum. There’s gentle conveying but some belt pressure and rubbing as layers build up. Fluidized-bed IQF suspends pieces on high-velocity cold air. Pieces float and tumble, freezing quickly with less belt contact. The choice matters because collision and pressure patterns are different.

Our experience across Indonesian lines in 2025–2026: for cut and small-piece vegetables, fluidized typically delivers 30–60% lower breakage and fewer fines. For whole, delicate, or sticky-skin items, a well-tuned spiral can be kinder because it avoids high-velocity air impacts.

Which freezer causes less breakage for IQF green beans?

For cut green beans 20–35 mm, fluidized bed wins most of the time. We see broken + fines at 2–4% on fluidized vs 5–8% on spiral at similar throughput. For whole extra-fine beans, results are closer. A spiral with low belt loading can match fluidized if pre-cool and surface drying are dialed in. But for foodservice 20–35 mm cuts, we specify fluidized lines.

Practical takeaway: for “sticks, cubes, kernels, slices,” start with fluidized. For “whole, long, skin-intact” where aerodynamics make pieces ping around, consider spiral with careful belt loading.

Decision rule by cut type

Diced carrots 8–12 mm or 10–10 mm. Fluidized. Expect cleaner edges and fewer chips. If you must run spiral, reduce belt load to <8 kg/m² and add pre-chill to firm surfaces.
Green beans 20–35 mm cuts. Fluidized preferred. For whole or extra-fine, spiral can be competitive if belt tension and tier transitions are gentle.
Okra slices 10–20 mm. Fluidized. Spiral tends to scuff the mucilage and creates sticking and chips. For whole okra 5–8 cm, spiral can work well with light loading. See our Premium Frozen Okra.
Sweet corn kernels. Fluidized almost always. Cleaner free-flow and less clumping. See Premium Frozen Sweet Corn.
Mixed vegetables 30/30/20/20. Fluidized. You need consistent free-flow across kernels and dice. We run this on fluidized lines for Frozen Mixed Vegetables.
Bell peppers strips/dice. Fluidized. Spiral can smear surfaces on high-sugar peppers and raise stickiness.

Edge cases: very delicate leafy inclusions or whole chili peppers sometimes behave better on spiral if air lift in fluidized causes aerodynamic “fencing.” Pilot both if your cut is unusual.

What’s an acceptable broken and fines limit?

Buyers debate this to death. Here are ranges we actually see accepted by quality-focused customers. Define your terms up front.

Green beans cuts 20–35 mm. Broken pieces under 15 mm: ≤3.0%. Fines under 5 mm: ≤1.0%. Total broken + fines: ≤4.0%.
Diced carrots 8–12 mm. Chips and fragments passing 6 mm sieve: ≤2.5%. Out-of-grade undersize pieces 6–8 mm: ≤2.5%. Total: ≤5.0%.
Okra slices 10–20 mm. Fragments under 8 mm: ≤3.0%. Deformed slices with missing >25% area: ≤5.0%. Total: ≤8.0% (okras are more brittle).
Sweet corn kernels. Broken skins and fines passing 3 mm sieve: ≤2.0%.
Mixed vegetables 30/30/20/20. Component-wise limits as above. Total fines across blend: ≤3.0%.

Set different thresholds for spiral vs fluidized? You can, but we prefer a single spec and let the process choice be the supplier’s problem. If a supplier wants to run spiral, they own the optimization.

How to test free-flow and clumping on arrival

You don’t need a lab. You need consistency.

Free-flow quick test (5 minutes per lot):

Pull a 1 kg sample from 5 randomly chosen bags per lot or 1% of bags, whichever is greater, capped at 12 bags.
Hold each 1 kg at -18 ±2°C for 60 minutes to equilibrate.
Invert bag three times. Cut open and pour from 30 cm height onto a stainless tray. Note any clumps >50 g.
Weigh clumps after gentle tap. Acceptance: at least 90% of bags show zero clumps >50 g, and the average clumped mass across bags is ≤1.0%.

Sieve test for fines:

Use a 5 mm sieve (3 mm for corn). Shake 30 seconds. Fines % = weight passing sieve / sample weight. Compare to your limit.

Drop test for handling robustness (simulates warehouse touches):

Bag level: drop a sealed 1 kg bag at -18°C from 1.0 m, flat face, twice each side and once each corner. Re-run free-flow and sieve tests. The increase in fines should be ≤1.0 percentage point. Clumps still zero.
Carton level: ISTA-light. A filled export carton from 76 cm. One flat drop, one edge, one corner. Inspect for crushed bags. Re-test one bag.

Simulated shipping clumping test (48 hours):

Put 3 kg bagged samples through two temperature cycles between -18°C and -10°C using a programmable chamber or a chest freezer with controlled “warm” periods. Hold 6 hours at each plateau. Re-run free-flow. Acceptance: no clumps >100 g and average clumped mass ≤2.0%.

If you want help setting up these tests or adapting to your cut, Contact us on whatsapp.

Does glaze percentage reduce clumping during ocean transit?

Up to a point, yes. A thin uniform glaze fills micro-voids and reduces surface stickiness from sugar or mucilage. But heavy glaze distorts declared drained weight.

Working ranges we use: 2–4% for kernels and dice. 3–6% for slices with natural stickiness (okra, peppers). Above 6% rarely helps and can mask poor dehydration.
Verify glaze by controlled deglaze: weigh frozen sample, rinse under 10°C water for 30 seconds with gentle agitation, pat dry 30 seconds, reweigh. Glaze % = loss / initial x 100.
Glaze is not a band-aid for wet product. If your dewatering pre-freeze is weak, glaze won’t save you from block formation.

Can packaging offset higher breakage from spiral IQF?

Sometimes. Three quick wins we’ve validated:

Use thicker bags. Moving from 60 to 80 microns LDPE can cut fines rise after handling by 20–30% because of better cushioning.
Reduce headspace and avoid overpacking. Puffy bags collapse and let pieces grind. Target 92–95% fill by volume, not 99%.
Carton dividers or 2 x 1.5 kg instead of 1 x 3 kg. Smaller units distribute pressure better on long voyages.

But packaging can’t fix a chronically rough belt transition or overloaded spiral tiers. If you still see >6% total broken + fines, revisit freezer choice.

When is a spiral freezer actually better for vegetables?

Three cases we’ve seen in Indonesia the last six months:

Whole okra pods 5–8 cm. With light belt loading and a good crust freeze, spiral preserves pod integrity better than over-fluidized beds that toss pods into guards.
Whole chili peppers and long beans. Aerodynamic pieces can “fence” in fluidized tunnels and collide with frames. Spiral with guides can be gentler.
Sticky-skin whole bell peppers before further processing. Spiral reduces surface scuffing.

If your catalogue includes whole vegetables like Purple Eggplant or long-profile items, pilot on both lines. Measure before deciding.

Sample purchase-spec wording you can copy

Use precise language. Here’s a compact clause set you can tailor.

Piece integrity and sizing. Product shall conform to declared cut size. Broken pieces under [X mm] ≤ [Y%]. Fines passing [Z mm] sieve ≤ [W%]. Total broken + fines ≤ [T%].
Free-flow requirement. Product shall be free-flowing at -18°C. No clumps >50 g in 90% of inspected bags. Average clumped mass ≤1.0% per 1 kg sample.
Glaze. Uniform glaze [2–4%] by controlled deglaze method. Label shall declare glazed weight and net drained weight. Overglaze >0.5% above spec may be deducted.
Handling robustness. Post-drop test (bag method described in annex), fines increase ≤1.0 percentage point and free-flow criteria still met.
Temperature abuse tolerance. After two cycles between -18°C and -10°C, no clumps >100 g. Average clumped mass ≤2.0%.
Sampling plan. At receiving, sample minimum 5 bags per lot or 1% of bags, whichever is greater, capped at 12. Use lot acceptance if any single parameter exceeds spec in more than 1 bag; otherwise average across sample must meet spec.

Put the methods in an annex so your QC and the supplier’s QC run identical tests.

Recommended sampling plan at receiving

We like a practical plan over perfect statistics.

Lots ≤500 cartons. Sample 6 bags. Lots 501–1,500. Sample 8 bags. Lots >1,500. Sample 12 bags.
Tests per bag. Free-flow quick test, sieve fines, net weight check, temperature at core, visual defects.
Acceptance. Reject if two or more bags fail any single parameter. If one bag fails on one parameter, compute sample average. Accept if averages meet spec and no catastrophic clumps (>200 g) are found.

If your organization uses AQL, this mirrors roughly AQL 2.5 severity without the overhead of unit-by-unit counting for IQF pieces.

Indonesia context: what’s changed recently

In late 2025 and early 2026, several Indonesian processors added fluidized-bed retrofits and upgraded dewatering ahead of IQF. That’s why we’re able to commit tighter free-flow targets on kernels and dice than two years ago. We also see better cold-chain discipline on Java–Sumatra routes, which reduces temperature cycling that used to create block formation in-transit.

We run our frozen lines with these standards for items like Premium Frozen Sweet Corn, Frozen Mixed Vegetables, and Premium Frozen Okra. If you’re speccing fresh inputs for processing, our fresh range such as Carrots (Fresh Export Grade) and Onion are graded to perform well through IQF.

Final takeaways

Choose fluidized for cuts, cubes, kernels, and slices. Use spiral for whole, long, or aerodynamically tricky vegetables with careful belt management.
Lock in numeric limits for broken, fines, and free-flow. Don’t leave “IQF piece integrity” vague.
Test the way you buy. Run the same free-flow, drop, and temperature-cycle tests at approval and at receiving.
Use glaze and packaging as fine-tuning, not crutches.

Questions about your project or need a spec tailored to your buyers? Contact us on email and we’ll share a one-page spec template you can deploy this week.