Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots
Cold chain disruption and refrigeration failures are common issues in the logistics of perishable food products. In these cases, the use of pallet covers should be very useful, delaying the increase of product temperatures inside the pallets until cooling conditions are restored. However, there are...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/15/2961 |
| _version_ | 1797586727066402816 |
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| author | Ricardo Badia-Melis Luis Ruiz-Garcia Jose Ignacio Robla-Villalba Pedro Hoyos-Echevarria |
| author_facet | Ricardo Badia-Melis Luis Ruiz-Garcia Jose Ignacio Robla-Villalba Pedro Hoyos-Echevarria |
| author_sort | Ricardo Badia-Melis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cold chain disruption and refrigeration failures are common issues in the logistics of perishable food products. In these cases, the use of pallet covers should be very useful, delaying the increase of product temperatures inside the pallets until cooling conditions are restored. However, there are no studies about the performance of pallet covers in these types of situations, which could persist for hours. This paper evaluates the performance of three different types of cold chain covers versus having no cover for three different types of vegetables (chard, cucumbers, and carrots). A refrigeration failure during the cold chain was simulated. The three covers presented an improvement in temperature loss compared to the no-cover situation, with the average time for the temperature to increase from 4 to 10 °C with a cover being a range of 214 to 506 min, while for no cover, from 162 to 211 min. Relative humidity (RH) always presented improved preservation with a cover than with no cover, except for one case. The correlation between the thermal images and sensor temperatures was also studied. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:27:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-469b395a9c254be8bb714d30f3c8ffa0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:27:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-469b395a9c254be8bb714d30f3c8ffa02023-11-18T22:55:33ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582023-08-011215296110.3390/foods12152961Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and CarrotsRicardo Badia-Melis0Luis Ruiz-Garcia1Jose Ignacio Robla-Villalba2Pedro Hoyos-Echevarria3Departamento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, ETSIAAB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Edificio Motores, Avda. Puerta de Hierro 2, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, ETSIAAB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Edificio Motores, Avda. Puerta de Hierro 2, 28040 Madrid, SpainSensors Technology Laboratory, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalúrgicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CENIM-CSIC), Avenida Gregorio del Amo 8, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Producción Agraria, ETSIAAB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Edificio Agrícolas, Avda. Puerta de Hierro 2, 28040 Madrid, SpainCold chain disruption and refrigeration failures are common issues in the logistics of perishable food products. In these cases, the use of pallet covers should be very useful, delaying the increase of product temperatures inside the pallets until cooling conditions are restored. However, there are no studies about the performance of pallet covers in these types of situations, which could persist for hours. This paper evaluates the performance of three different types of cold chain covers versus having no cover for three different types of vegetables (chard, cucumbers, and carrots). A refrigeration failure during the cold chain was simulated. The three covers presented an improvement in temperature loss compared to the no-cover situation, with the average time for the temperature to increase from 4 to 10 °C with a cover being a range of 214 to 506 min, while for no cover, from 162 to 211 min. Relative humidity (RH) always presented improved preservation with a cover than with no cover, except for one case. The correlation between the thermal images and sensor temperatures was also studied.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/15/2961cold chainpallet coverthermal imagefood controlfood safety |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo Badia-Melis Luis Ruiz-Garcia Jose Ignacio Robla-Villalba Pedro Hoyos-Echevarria Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots Foods cold chain pallet cover thermal image food control food safety |
| title | Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots |
| title_full | Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots |
| title_short | Evaluation of Pallet Covers Performance for Produce Protection in Cold Chain Logistics for Chard, Cucumbers and Carrots |
| title_sort | evaluation of pallet covers performance for produce protection in cold chain logistics for chard cucumbers and carrots |
| topic | cold chain pallet cover thermal image food control food safety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/15/2961 |
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