While spiral freezers are most commonly associated with the food and beverage industry, their application within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors is growing. These industries deal with sensitive biological materials and compounds that often require precise temperature control to maintain stability, efficacy, and safety. Spiral freezers offer unique advantages in high-throughput environments where consistent, rapid, and hygienic freezing is essential.
This article explores how spiral freezers are being utilized in pharmaceutical and biotech applications and why they are becoming an increasingly valuable asset in the cold chain of life sciences.
Why Spiral Freezers in Pharma and Biotech?
Spiral freezers operate by moving products along a continuous spiral conveyor inside a controlled, ultra-low-temperature chamber. This method enables rapid and uniform freezing while maximizing production capacity in a compact footprint — key benefits for pharmaceutical and biotech facilities that often manage space-sensitive cleanrooms and demand high-volume, sterile production.
Although not as widespread as in food processing, the integration of spiral freezers into pharmaceutical operations is gaining traction in select, specialized applications.
Key Applications in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries
1. Freezing of Temperature-Sensitive Biological Materials
Many pharmaceuticals and biotech products are biologically derived and can lose potency if not stored or processed under strict thermal conditions. Spiral freezers offer a consistent, controlled environment to quickly bring these materials to sub-zero temperatures.
-
Products: Live vaccines, enzymes, plasma-derived therapies, probiotics, and other bioactive compounds.
-
Freezing Needs: Fast, even freezing to preserve biological activity and prevent structural degradation.
-
Benefits: Maintains viability and function of biological agents; reduces risk of denaturation or contamination.
2. Gel Packs and Temperature-Controlled Packaging Components
To support the cold chain for shipping sensitive products, spiral freezers are used to freeze gel packs, phase change materials (PCMs), and other refrigerant components used in thermal packaging.
-
Products: Ice packs, gel bricks, PCM packs used in vaccine and biologic transport.
-
Freezing Needs: High-volume, consistent freezing to meet packaging demands for global distribution.
-
Benefits: Ensures uniformity in freezing, faster cycle times, and efficient batch processing.
3. Pharmaceutical Ingredients for Long-Term Storage
Certain pharmaceutical ingredients — such as APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients), excipients, and intermediates — require freezing before storage or further processing to maintain purity or prevent reaction.
-
Products: Stabilized APIs, suspensions, emulsions, lipid nanoparticles.
-
Freezing Needs: Uniform sub-zero temperatures to inhibit microbial activity or chemical degradation.
-
Benefits: Allows for long-term inventory control and improved stability for sensitive compounds.
4. Vaccine and Biologic Manufacturing Support
In vaccine production, some stages may require materials to be frozen before lyophilization (freeze-drying) or between batch processing stages. Spiral freezers can help facilitate this step efficiently.
-
Products: Viral vectors, mRNA components, adjuvants, or antigen suspensions.
-
Freezing Needs: Rapid transition to freezing temperatures without compromising molecular integrity.
-
Benefits: Prepares materials for freeze-drying or formulation; reduces contamination risk in continuous processing setups.
Operational and Regulatory Considerations
1. Cleanroom-Compatible Design
Pharmaceutical environments demand strict adherence to cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. Spiral freezers used in these settings must be designed with cleanroom compatibility in mind — including stainless steel construction, hygienic welds, minimal crevices, and easy-to-clean surfaces.
2. Automated Control and Monitoring
Advanced spiral freezers can be integrated with automated monitoring systems to track temperature profiles, product movement, and environmental conditions in real-time. This ensures compliance with FDA and EMA regulations for temperature-sensitive products.
3. CIP (Clean-In-Place) Systems
To maintain sterility, many pharmaceutical-grade spiral freezers include automated CIP systems, allowing for effective cleaning without dismantling the equipment — a critical feature in maintaining operational uptime and meeting hygiene protocols.
4. Integration with Cold Chain Logistics
Spiral freezers also support the broader cold chain infrastructure by preparing products for downstream frozen storage, shipping, or further processing in temperature-controlled environments.
Image from Genemco
Link to IQF Spiral Freezers
While traditionally associated with food manufacturing, spiral freezers are proving to be valuable tools in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Their ability to freeze delicate biological materials and temperature-sensitive products quickly, evenly, and at scale makes them an ideal solution for select pharmaceutical applications. As biologics, cell therapies, and personalized medicine continue to expand, spiral freezers are likely to see increased adoption as part of the critical infrastructure that supports quality, safety, and efficiency in life sciences manufacturing.
