Segregation of proteins and sodium in human plasma upon freezing

The proteins and sodium in human source blood plasma are segregated and concentrated on freezing, particularly in plasma that is frozen slowly in a large container. The temperature and the concentration gradients at the freezing front induce a convection in the liquid phase and thus play the primary role in the segregation of proteins and sodium in the frozen mass. Unidirectional freezing, where the freezing front moves against gravity, minimizes segregation because the density gradient-induced convection is minimized at the solid-liquid interface. Microscopic observation of the freezing front of the plasma indicates that ice crystals are the primary solid formed. Their shape is generally irregular, and they become highly dendritic as the freezing rate increases. Apparently, the liquid phase at the freezing front is trapped between the ice crystals; it then undergoes a complex secondary freezing process at a lower temperature behind the primary freezing front of the ice crystals.