Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will release refrigerators with “‘Syun’ freezing” function, which prevents cells of food from decaying when it is being frozen. Also, they can uniformly freeze food.
Mitsubishi will launch six models, including a double-leaf model “MR-G57N,” in series from Sept. 25, 2007. Although the prices are open, the price of the MR-G57N, whose volume is 565 L, is expected to be about 280,000 yen (USD 2,499)
“(By releasing these products,) we aim to increase our share in the market of double-leaf refrigerator,” the company said.
The new freezing function is based on the principle that supercooled water can be frozen in a moment by a stimulus. (Supercooled water is water that is in a liquid state when its temperature is zero or below.)
The new refrigerators instantaneously freeze food by rapidly cooling supercooled food in the “‘Syun’ freezing room.” The ice particles generated from the supercooled water are fine, so the cells are less likely to be destroyed.
Because the refrigerators enable to preserve the original flavors and textures of food, “it is now possible to freeze potatoes and bamboo shoots, which are difficult to freeze in the past,” Mitsubishi said.
To make food supercooled, the control of air current and temperature in the “Syun” freezing room was optimized. The “air-current control board” was installed inside to regulate the current of cold air and not to squirt -21 to -23°C air directly on the food, keeping the temperature inside from -7 to -9°C.
The previous products partially freeze food because they squirt -21 to -23°C air directly on it.
Furthermore, the refrigerators will be equipped with the infrared temperature sensor “‘Syun’ freezing eye,” which measures the temperature of the food. The sensor will regulate the inside of the refrigerator so that the inside and outside of the food have the same temperature when it is being frozen.
The technology used in “Kirigamine,” an air conditioner developed by Mitsubishi Electric, was applied to the new refrigerators, according to the company.
As in the case of the former refrigerators, the new new products are mounted with shelves called “Kukan Jyouzu Ugokun Dana,” which can be easily moved with food on them. The moving range of the lowest shelf is 222 mm, so 500-mL plastic bottles can be vertically stored, according to the company.