Have you ever wonder why many food companies choose fiberglass as the body of their truck?
Here’s a
video showing how durable a fiberglass is.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Fiberglass Durability Test
Have you ever wonder why many food companies choose fiberglass as the body of their truck?
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Refrigeration: What is it really?
There
are many methods of refrigeration that can be classified, namely: non-cyclic, cyclic, thermoelectric
and magnetic.
Non-cyclic Refrigeration
In
this method, the cooling is accomplished by melting the ice or subliming the
dry ice. This method is commonly used for small-scale refrigeration such as in
laboratories, workshops and portable coolers.
Cyclic Refrigeration
This
method removes the heat from a low-temperature space or source and rejected to
a high-temperature sink with the help of external work, and its inverse, the
thermodynamic power cycle.
Thermoelectric
Refrigeration
Thermoelectric
cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between
the junctions of two different types of materials. This effect is commonly used
in camping and portable coolers and for cooling electronic components and small
instruments.
Magnetic
Refrigeration
This
cooling method is based on the magneto caloric effect, an intrinsic property of
magnetic solids. The refrigerant is
often a paramagnetic salt, such as cerium magnesium dipoles in this case are
those of the electron shells of the paramagnetic atoms.
Most
of us are mistakenly thinks that refrigeration stops the spoilage of a goods or
products. But the truth is that refrigeration
does not stop the food spoilage, it just delays it. Most spoilage microorganisms are not active when
it is cold, so spoilage takes longer. Some
spoilage like in over ripe fruits, may be caused by enzymes and enzymatic
activity is also reduced be the colder temperature.
The Main Purpose of
Refrigeration
The fundamental reason for having a
refrigerator is to keep food cold. Cold temperatures help food stay fresh
longer. The basic idea behind refrigeration is to slow down the activity of
bacteria (which all food contains) so that it takes longer for the bacteria to
spoil the food.
For example, bacteria will spoil milk in two or three hours if the
milk is left out on the kitchen counter at room temperature. However, by
reducing the temperature of the milk, it will stay fresh for a week or two --
the cold temperature inside the refrigerator decreases the activity of the
bacteria that much. By freezing the milk you can stop the bacteria altogether
and the milk can last for months (until effects like freezer burn begin to
spoil the milk in non-bacterial ways).
Refrigeration is main reason why we can
preserve and extend the shelf life of perishable goods. It is the reason why we can taste and
experience a food as fresh as it was just harvested.
Sources:
Wikipedia.com
WikiAnswer.com
HowStuffWorks.com
Friday, February 15, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Things to Consider in Choosing a Refrigerated Truck Body
A
refrigerated truck is designed to carry or transfer perishable goods at
specific temperature. It is one of the
main equipment needed so the flow of the cold supply chain will not be broken. This makes the perishable goods extend and
ensure their shelf lives. Some of these
products are blood, confectionaries, fresh agricultural produce, seafood,
frozen foods, photographic films, chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs.
One
of the main integral parts of a refrigerated truck is the truck body or the refrigerated
box. It contained the air coming out
from the cooling system. It also prevents
the heat to go enter inside the goods.
A
good refrigerated truck body allows
more cooling inside that maintains the goods freshness. So we must consider many things in choosing
the right and perfect truck body for our needs.
Insulation
The
difference between an ordinary truck body and a refrigerated truck body is the
insulation. Ordinary truck body doesn’t
have insulation. This insulation helps
prevent the heat to enter the inside of the body. The thicker the insulation is, the lesser the
heat can enter.
One
more thing about insulation is that, it should have low water absorption. EPS or the Extruded Polystyrene is the best
insulating material for refrigerated truck body compared to the polyurethane. It
has high heat-insulating properties, low-water absorption, light weight and have
longer life.
Truck Body Material
Many
supplier of truck body used aluminum as their main material. It is lightweight and cheap. But we must also consider its life. Aluminum trucks may be cheap but it will only
last a certain year. We must choose a
truck body that can last even a lifetime like a fiberglass. Fiberglass gives a clean and seamless
appearance that is less vulnerable to leaks and is easy to service and repair.
Door Gaskets
Choose
a refrigerated truck that have thick and does have many layer of door gaskets
that makes heat transfer virtually impossible.
Truck Accessories
As
a corporate food company, we must maintain the look of our products and even
the equipments we are using. If we are
using ordinary door accessories, it may rust.
It may also lead to bacteria growth that may affect the products inside
the truck. As much as possible, choose
trucks with stainless steel door accessories because these are prone to rust.
Also,
an individual clip-type plastic curtain makes it easier to use and faster to
replace and service compare to ordinary curtains. LED lightning fixtures are used on both the
interior and exterior for better visibility, efficiency, and 5x longer life
than regular bulbs is must also be consider.
These
are some of the many things we must put on mind on buying a refrigerated truck
body.
Coolaire
Consolidated, Inc.
is the Philippines’ top supplier of refrigerated truck bodies, truck cooling
system and refrigerated containers.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Refrigerated Trucks: An Essential to the Cold Chain Industry
A
refrigerated truck is one of the main equipment needed so the flow of the cold
supply chain will not be broken. It is
design to carry perishable goods. It is also
used to help extend and ensure the shelf life of products such as blood,
confectionaries, fresh agricultural produce, seafood, frozen foods,
photographic films, chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs.
According
to Ehow.com, “A reefer truck is a truck or van usually 1 ton or larger that
has a refrigerated unit built either directly on the frame or is transported by
trailer. It's refrigerated by diesel-powered generators and liquid carbon
dioxide, or CO2. Reefer trucks range from simple ice cream trucks to large
containers carrying perishable goods across the country.”
Refrigerated
trucks are used by companies who are in the cold chain industry like ice cream,
frozen meats, canned products, confectionaries, seafood, fruits and vegetables. They used this kind of truck in order to
maintain the temperature and maintain the freshness of the products. In this way, the consumer will get or buy the
products as fresh as it were harvested.
A
refrigerated truck mainly composes of an insulated refrigerated body, a truck
cooling system and a truck’s cab and chassis.
A proper insulated body and a powerful cooling system is the key for a
better distribution of perishable goods.
Bad truck refrigeration may rotten your products.
For
example, a truck body with low insulating capacity may let heat to enter the
body and destroy your products. On the
cold chain industry, heat is the main enemy.
If you let heat touch your products, then you are accepting your loss.
According to
Wisegeek.com, “Many
different types of products may require the use of refrigerated trucking. The
most common need for refrigerated trucking is in the transport of agricultural
products that tend to spoil or decompose easily, such as fruits or vegetables.
Of course, frozen foods also require refrigeration and usually the same units
that can be used to refrigerate can also be used to freeze. Some types of photo
processing equipment may also require being kept within a certain temperature range,
the maximum of which would likely be exceeded by traditional trucking.
Generally, refrigeration units are made to withstand the rigors of
commercial shipping so all normal loading and unloading methods are possible.
This includes using forklifts and pallet trucks. Some refrigeration units have
grooved floors so that airflow is not hindered by freight sitting on the floor.
Therefore, some loading equipment with smaller wheels may be ineffective as
those wheels could get caught in those grooves. These grooves are generally
less than two inches (approximately five cm) wide.
The cost of refrigerated
trucking is often higher than traditional trucking, but this is mainly because
of the special equipment and added expense associated with the maintenance and
upkeep of that equipment. Further, fewer refrigeration units are available at
any given time, and less supply mean higher prices.”
As a conclusion,
refrigerated trucks are really essential on the cold chain industry. It is the best way to transport goods that
maintains the freshness of the product from harvest to fork.
Coolaire
Consolidated, Inc.
is the Philippines’ top supplier of refrigerated truck bodies, truck cooling
system and refrigerated containers.
