Concentration of extracts by freezing

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONCENTRATION OF AN AQUEOUS PRODUCT BY FREEZING, WHEREIN WATER IS REMOVED FROM THE PRODUCT AS ICE CRYSTALS, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE: (A) COOLING AN ORIGINAL AQUEOUS FLUID PRODUCT TO A METASTABLE STATE, IN WHICH THE PRODUCT IS UNDERCOOLED IN A MONOPHASE ENVIRONMENT TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE NORMAL FREEZING POINT OF THE PRODUCT, SAID COOLING BEING CONDUCTED BY INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE WITH A RECIRCULATING REFRIGERATION MEDIUM, THE AQUEOUS PRODUCT FLOWING IN A HORIZONTAL PATH UPWARDLY IN BAFFLED FLOW; (B) TRANSFERRING THE MONOPHASE PRODUCT WHILE IN THE UNDERCOOLED AND METASTABLE STATE TO A STABILIZING ENVIRONMENT THAT REVERTS THE PRODUCT TO A STABLE STATE; (C) RELEASING THE UNDERCOOLING AS HEAT OF FUSION OF ICE IN THE STABILIZING ENVIRONMENT TO FORM AN ICE SLURRY OF LARGER AND SMALLER ICE CRYSTALS IN LIQUID; (D) CENTRIFUGING THE LIQUID FROM THE ICE SLURRY; (E) WASHING THE ICE CRYSTALS AND SEPARATING THE WASHINGS FROM THE CRYSTALS; (F) RECIRCULATING THE CENTRIFUGED LIQUID AND THE WASHINGS FROM THE ICE CRYSTALS TO SAID ORIGINAL PRODUCT OF STEP (A); (G) CENTRIFUGING AND SCREENING THE WASHED ICE CRYSTALS OF STEP (E) TO DIVIDE THE CRYSTALS INTO SMALLER AND LARGER CRYSTALS; (H) TRANSFERRING THE SMALLER ICE CRYSTALS FROM STEP (G) TO THE STABILIZING ENVIRONMENT OF STEP (B); AND (I) RECOVERING THE LARGER CRYSTALS OF STEP (G) SEPARATE FROM THE ORIGINAL PRODUCT OF STEP (A).