COLD CHAIN
Cold storage innovations like automatic retrieval strengthen the cold chain Total Construction’s Tony Tate has seen firsthand the advancements in the cold chain over the past 10 years and believes the sector is now reaping the benefits. Adam McCleery reports.
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torage is a critical component of the cold chain because if it fails at any point, from the start of production to the point of sale, manufacturers must incur the cost. Total Construction works with several stakeholders within the food and beverage industry on cold storage, which has given Tony Tate, the head of the food and beverage division at the company, an insight into how to best manage cold storage. “We have been doing a lot of frozen automatic retrieval systems for cold storage but not as much in the chilled area. We also work with combinations of chilled and frozen though,” said Tate. While Total Construction currently has a stronger presence in cold storage over the chilled sector, the company is still adept at both. “One of our clients has a 12,000-storage pallet freezer, which is an automatic retrieval system and they have about 500 pallets for chilled and they manufacture fresh every day. Depending on the clients it either goes into chilled storage or frozen storage,” said Tate. This practise is a critical starting point for better shelf life on cold food products, which have a limited time to be sold, such as meats. “Sausages, for example, have about 15 days shelf life raw before they have to be cooked, but you can lose five days going to Perth, so it is also about logistics and distribution to prolong shelf-life,” said Tate.
Total Construction has seen an uptick in manufacturers turning to automatic retrieval systems. To make sure the temperature in the cold chain is intact, like anything else, once manufactured, the product is chilled, which instantly helps lock in the goodness. “You don’t allow it to stand there and get spoilage from microorganisms; the better and more controlled your cold chain the longer the shelf life of the product,” Tate added. Tate said because of the critical nature that refrigeration plays in the cold chain, modern innovations such as digitisation and automatic retrieval systems have helped strengthen the beginning and end of the cold supply chain. “Temperature control is massively important and needs to be precise to avoid product getting spoiled. Going digital allows for very precise readings, which lessens the risk of temperature storage failures,” he added. The digitisation presents a host of advantages that play a part in strengthening the cold chain. “There is a lot more control
34 Food&Beverage Industry News | April 2022 | www.foodmag.com.au
accurate temperature ranges and the cold chains and it’s now made very precise by the digital component of it these days,” said Tate. Total Construction also helps customers identify the best refrigerants for their products to reinforce the cold chain storage. “Such as CO2, which is more user friendly, which is to say more efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Tate. “It’s an excellent chilling medium and controls temperatures to a plus-minus of one degree. That is extremely accurate thanks to digitisation as opposed to normal thermostats. “In terms of helping control the cold chain, its accuracy is a big selling point. It can also send data in real time to a digital device, such as a phone. What that means is if there is even a minor degree difference or a compressor at high temperature can be fixed immediately.” Tate said manufacturers and producers in the food and beverage industry require builders who know
the specific challenges to overcome and requirements to be met when constructing or fitting out a facility. Tate’s experience in the global food market over decades has afforded him the ability to formulate action plans that are informed by that experience. “From a building point of view, you need to have the installation value with the insulated sandwich panel which is a key driver because some of these rooms go to -22˚C,” he said. “The products are supercooled or
Temperature control is an important factor for Total Construction when working in the cold chain.
