In a system for the freeze concentration of coffee, the ratio of the area of the heat transfer surfaces of the crystallizer to the volume of the crystallizer should be between 7:1 to 10:1. To accomplish this ratio, a crystallizer having both a jacket and a central passage for refrigerant may be used.
A method and a system is disclosed in which soluble solids, including soluble animal proteins, dissolved in a solution are separated from the solution by passing the solution through a cooling system in which the solution is cooled to a precipitation temperature at which the soluble solids become precipitatable and then passing the cooled solution into a clarifying system in which the precipitatable soluble solids are separated from the solution thereby creating a separated solids stream and a clarified water stream. Initial cooling of the solution is accomplished by heat exchange between the solution and the separated solids stream and between the solution and the clarified water stream.
