![A staff member inspects trays of abalone which have just undergone Suspended Animation Freezing.](https://yumbah.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-3-11-scaled-1.jpg)
![A tray of fresh abalone, held by two hands in blue rubber gloves, is submerged into a tub full of water to freeze them in suspended animation.](https://yumbah.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-3-18-scaled-1.jpg)
![Abalone travel down a conveyer belt at a processing facility, carefully inspected by a team member.](https://yumbah.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-3-7-scaled-1.jpg)
![An experienced staff member transfers a tray of Yumbah abalone to another area of a processing facility after they have undergone suspended animation freezing.](https://yumbah.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-3-3-scaled-1.jpg)
Suspended Animation Freezing® (SAF) is a unique process developed by Yumbah that retains the freshness and taste of Yumbah abalone, and ensures that once thawed, the product maintains the same high quality as before it was frozen (live). Yumbah have developed this process over many years using a combination of Australian and Japanese technology.
Before freezing, Yumbah apply a strict selection process to ensure the quality of each abalone. Yumbah choose healthy, strong and vibrant live abalone that have been harvested from pure southern oceanic water and they are snap frozen within minutes. Yumbah do this to maintain the natural live characteristics, guarantee sashimi quality and eliminate the impact of the freezing process on taste and texture.
The main advantage of SAF is that the freezing process is extremely fast and only takes a few minutes. This prevents the formation of large ice crystals in the product’s cells and prevents the destruction of the membrane structures at the molecular level. These preventions allow the product to maintain, to a far greater extent, its shape, colour, smell and taste after being defrosted.