The sale of refrigerated and frozen food products has increased substantially due to the presence of domestic equipment for their conservation and final preparation, and also to the way of life of consumers in large cities, which require ease and speed in food preparation. In this blog, we will know what is the small cold storage cost in India.
As they are products that require an efficient cold chain, these products have high added value. Consumers’ interest in refrigerated foods is because they resemble fresh foods, with adequate and satisfactory sensory and hygienic characteristics. In the case of frozen foods, the greatest appeal is the shelf life of these products.
Food preservation methods:
Food preservation methods based on cold preservation (refrigeration and freezing) make use of low temperature as the main process for food preservation. Heat transmission occurs from the hottest to the coldest body, through conduction (solid food) or convection (liquid or pasty food). During refrigeration or freezing, food is placed in contact with a cooler surface or environment and thus loses heat, cooling down.
In refrigeration, the food is kept at low temperatures (below 10°C) to prolong the life of fresh or processed food, for a limited time according to the target product, food spoilage microbiota, processes used, and packaging. Some microbial species manage to survive and others manage to grow at temperatures below 0°C but a very slow pace. Thus, this operation is generally associated with other unit operations such as pasteurization and packaging in a modified atmosphere. At the end of this post, we will also check what is the small cold storage cost in India?
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Freezing allows keeping the stored product below freezing point and for longer periods according to the target product, processes used, and packaging. The cold, depending on its intensity, can cause injuries to microorganisms and delay chemical and enzymatic reactions, so it is always very important to work with good quality products so that it is maintained throughout the processing.
Factors that should be considered when storing refrigerated and frozen foods are temperature, air circulation, relative humidity, and the composition of the storage atmosphere.
About the freezing temperature:
The refrigeration and freezing temperature must be by the food you want to store. A very important aspect is the fact that the food, once refrigerated or frozen, must be kept as such to avoid microbiological, chemical, nutritional, and also sensory alterations (texture, color, flavor, and aroma). The faster the freezing process of a product, the better its structure and condition after thawing, as the crystals formed during freezing will be smaller.
Inside a domestic refrigerator temperature is reached between 6 and 10°C at the bottom and 2 to -2°C at the top. In the freezer, temperatures can be reached between -1°C and -4°C. In-home freezers, temperatures are between -14 and -17°C. In industrial refrigerators or cold rooms, temperatures can be reached below -40°C. Now, let’s find out about the small cold storage project cost.
Choosing the appropriate method for freezing food depends, among other factors, on the composition of the food, the size of the piece to be frozen, the cost of the process, the purpose of freezing, the quality required after thawing, and the shelf life of the product that if you want to achieve.
The most used freezing methods are those that use static or circulating air cooling, indirect contact with super-cooled plates, and immersion in refrigerant liquids. Frozen storage is done in chambers at very low temperatures, which vary according to the food to be preserved.
It is important to emphasize that freezing does not destroy the microorganisms that were present in the food when it was processed. Thus, it is important to be careful at each stage of the process to ensure the necessary safety for each product.
What is the small cold storage cost in India?
The small cold storage cost in India may vary but approximately, it can be around 50 lakh INR to certain crores and that is depending on the project type and location you prefer.
This blog is also worth reading for you:–POTATO COLD STORAGE PROJECT COST
