Refrigeration has been the principal known method of successful storage of multiple perishables food products to retain their freshness and flavor. When these products are harvested from their source, soon start to deteriorate. Storage is the art of keeping the quality of perishable goods and preventing them from deterioration for specific period of time, beyond their normal shelf life.
Recommended precautions for storing multiple food commodity in one cold storage
1) Avoid Cross Contamination
Even with adequate packaging, the risk of cross-contamination is still there due to leakage & bacterial growth. It’s important to remember that kirana items & meat products can sometimes have highly different cold store temperatures & should not be kept in same chamber.
2) Maintain Stock Rotation
When storing commodities, it is imperative that ‘best before’ labels are clearly displayed & that a good stock rotation is followed. This will minimize wastage & ensure that the product with shortest shelf life is dealt first.
3) Avoid Pallet Stacking
All products should be stacked in a way that allows adequate circulation of cold air. Failure to do this will result in a longer cooling time & can speed p the growth of bacteria.