Air chilling utilizes controlled cool air flows  to bring down the temperature of the product to the required level. Only suitable for cooling fresh (meaning not frozen) product. Setup and layout depends on available space and processing requirements. When requesting a quote, please provide

• room dimensions or available space
• what is your intended next step after chilling (cut-up, weighing, packing...)

Chilling by air is becoming the preferred cooling method in an increasing number of countries. The main reason is that it is a very hygienic process with a greatly reduced risk of cross contamination. And no water is used, which can be an important consideration (due to cost and availability) in some areas. One drawback of air chilling however, is that the method is only suitable for processing fresh products. If frozen chicken is the end product, water immersion is generally considered to be the preferred method of chilling. 

Chilling requires specific shackles of which there can be several types:

• 1 bird, 1 leg
• 1 bird, 2 legs
• 2 birds, 2 legs

The choice of shackle type depends on customer requirements, such as available space but also any next steps in processing. If the air chill line is retro-fitted in an existing plant where the chilling line needs to automatically transfer birds to a cut-up line, a two-leg shackle is generally recommended. Whereas a one-leg shackle type is greatly suited for automatic transfer to weighing lines. In any case, the birds hang from the shackles and are conveyed through the air chilling tunnel where they are chilled by a controlled air flow generated by coolers and fans.