Page 38 - FoodFocusThailand No.218 MAY 2024

SPECIAL FOCUS

1. Consider the placement of stored products, the quantity
of products to be stored, and the layout of products for proper
distribution of cold air throughout the room.
2. The floor, walls, ceiling, doors, and windows of the cold
storage room should be made of durable, smooth, and tightly
sealed materials to facilitate easy cleaning and maintenance.
3. Insulate the cold room walls, floor, ceiling, and doors
with suitable materials against heat transfer to maintain the
product temperature stable and follow specified standards.
4. Regularly inspect for cracks or damage on the floor,
walls, ceiling, insulation, or gaps around doors, and if any
damage is found, repair it immediately to prevent water
condensation on the cold room ceiling in the case of a freezing
room.
5. Prevent insects and pests from entering the storage
area with regular preventive measurements.
6. Use quality cooling equipment in the cold storage room,
such as refrigeration systems, refrigerants, and valves, and
Guidelines for Professional Management of ensure that the cooling equipment is assembled and
Cold Storage Warehouses arranged according to standards.
After the RTE production process, cold storage room should 7. The air duct system and air distribution within the cold
involve separating the blast chiller or freezer Room. There room should be able to distribute air widely and evenly to
are additional factors to consider in managing the cold reduce the temperature inside the cold storage room as
storage room, as follows: required and maintain a standard temperature throughout
• Temperature Control in the Cold Storage Room: and consistently throughout the room.
Maintaining a stable temperature inside the cold storage 8. Regularly check for refrigerant leaks from the cooling
according to standards throughout the shelf life of the stored system.
products. Even a slight temperature change can alter the 9. Install temperature monitoring devices and display
product’s quality or shorten its shelf life. Good cold storage systems at suitable locations for convenient monitoring and
should maintain a consistently low temperature to slow the recording of temperatures. Consider using automatic data
growth of surviving bacteria and contaminants from loggers that can store data from temperature recording
production, reducing chemical reactions in the food and thus devices or store data in cloud systems for real-time
preserving the quality of the food products throughout their monitoring.
shelf life. 10. Regularly calibrate and verify temperature-measuring
• Relative Humidity in the Cold Storage Room: devices with appropriate methods and frequencies to ensure
Relative humidity directly affects the quality of the stored that the devices can measure temperature accurately and
products, especially for foods in inappropriate packaging for precisely.
cold storage. High humidity in the cold room can promote 11. Assign trained personnel responsible for checking
bacterial growth and lead to faster spoilage of food products. and recording temperatures and appropriate procedures for
Conversely, excessively low humidity in the cold room can managing situations where the cold room temperature does
cause moisture to evaporate from the food products, resulting not meet specified standards.
in quality changes. 12. Develop preventive maintenance and cleaning plans,
• Air Circulation and Ventilation in the Cold Storage which must be strictly followed.
Room: A cold storage with an appropriate air circulation 13. Set backup or emergency plans in case the cold
system helps maintain a stable temperature and air storage room temperature does not meet specified standards,
composition. Entrepreneurs should design cold storage with such as power outages, refrigerant leaks inside the cold
proper air circulation and ventilation systems. room, or other emergencies that may cause the cold room
• Types of Foods Stored: If various food products are temperature to deviate from the specified requirements.
stored together in cold storage, considerations should be The key to a successful cold storage warehouse for
made to prevent cross-contamination. Strong-smelling foods ready-to-eat foods is maintaining a stable and standardized
should not be stored with easily odor-absorbing foods. cold room temperature before transportation and distribution
Additionally, it is advisable to use quality, tightly sealed to prevent changes in food product quality. Additionally, there
packaging materials to prevent cross-contamination among must be ongoing measures to maintain the cold storage room
different types of food products stored in the same cold to keep ready-to-eat food integrity before reaching the hands
storage room. of consumers.
In addition, operators should have good practices in
designing and efficiently managing cold storage rooms, as
follows:
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