Hitachi Fridge

In this world there are fridges, and then there are Japanese fridges which go way beyond the made-in-China products that are often bog-standard with no new technology built into them.

One Japanese brand, Hitachi, with products sold at Bing Lee, selected Harvey Norman and independent retailers, has changed all that with a new range which has cutting edge food preservation technology built-in.

This company already has a reputation for premium appliances, in particular their refrigerators. Hitachi's research and development engineers worked to significantly improve what happens inside a fridge.

Research shows that Australians throw away over $2,000 worth of food a year due to spoiling, so the preservation and freezing technology found in a Hitachi refrigerator is aimed at cutting this down dramatically.

According to Mark Beard, Marketing Manager Consumer Products at Hitachi Australia, the company's technology is based on extensive research about what actually happens to food when it is inside a refrigerator.

Hitachi found that ethylene gas released by vegetables can spoil their freshness. The Hitachi platinum catalyst technology has the ability to break down the ethylene gas and convert it to carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide puts vegetables into a dormant state so they retain their freshness for longer.

Then there is Hitachi's uniquely designed vacuum compartment, built into the made-in-Japan refrigerators that uses a vacuum pump to extract air and reduce oxygen to suppress oxidation, thus ensuring freshness of food while retaining its nutrients.

The airtight structure of the compartment that is in the middle of the fridge confines moisture inside, helping to prevent food dehydration. Seasoning is absorbed at a faster rate to assist in speedier food preparation.

Odour components from meat and fish are broken down by the Platinum Catalyst to generate carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide dissolves in water on the surface of food items to make the surface weakly acidic, suppressing enzyme strength to minimize freshness loss.

Seasoning is absorbed at a faster rate to assist in speedier food preparation.

In the refrigerator section one can use built in Sensor Cooling to set the lower 2 shelves at approximately 2°C, which is lower than the regular refrigerator temperature. The sensor detects temperature changes and adjusts the cooling power to maintain the 2°C temperature in the right lower compartment.

According to Beard, the longer it takes to freeze a piece of meat the bigger the crystals form inside the meat, which means the meat structure is potentially damaged.

In the Hitachi main freezer drawer, an additional high velocity freezing process reduces the time food takes to be frozen. Ice crystal formation is reduced, and moisture retained.

By building in an aluminum freezing tray the user can quick-freeze meat or vegetables and later store them in a different area of the freezer draw.

Selling for approximately $5,350, the Japanese-made product is proving popular with consumers who want to save money by cutting down on food wastage while also having a refrigerator that has cutting-edge food technology built in.