Temperature recorder in food production processes

Temperature in food production

Food production has always faced a challenge: food preservation. Given its perishable nature, food tends to rot over a period of time. To delay this effect, the use of cold is a requirement. Cold slows down the action of those agents responsible for food decomposition. Thus, bacteria and enzymes slow down or halt their activity, as is the case with freezing.

The two main methods used in food production processes are refrigeration and freezing. The first of them is achieved by keeping the food between 0 and 4 °C; the second one requires a temperature of −18 °C for effective preservation. Although these numerical values are generally accepted standards, each food has its own suitable preservation temperature.

For example, milk should be kept between 4 and 12 °C when the carton has not yet been opened. Cheese should be kept between 2 and 4 °C, as is the case with pasteurized milk. As for meat, ham and chicken, they can last between 10 and 15 days without a problem if they are preserved at 0 °C. However, vegetables must be kept at temperatures between 2 and 5 °C, but they need to be consumed in a few days as they are quite delicate.

Adhesive temperature recording labels

Time and temperature labels

These adhesive indicators are the ideal solution for registering food temperatures. They work by changing color when a temperature is exceeded for a specified amount of time. This type of control emulates what would be the deterioration process of many refrigerated foods in the event of poor conservation. That is, they will alert us if the product has been exposed to temperature for longer than it supports without deteriorating. They are inexpensive and simple to use, being an alternative or complement to temperature loggers.

Irreversible temperature indicators

To maintain these temperatures at all times, from the time the food is acquired until it reaches the consumer, using a food temperature recorder is necessary to guarantee that the preservation temperature has been respected. Irreversible thermometers are a simple and inexpensive method to record temperatures. They can be left in a cold room or supermarket refrigerator to indicate whether the maximum temperature has been exceeded at some point.

Reversible temperature indicators

There are also temperature labels that display the current numerical value at all times. This way, operators can check values at a glance, which speeds up the detection of a potential problem and the decision making if safety levels in the food production processes have been exceeded.

In a few words, a temperature recorder is indispensable in the food industry. Thanks to adhesive thermometers, it is possible to keep cold temperatures under control easily and affordably and to ensure that the food is kept at appropriate preservation values. Therefore, a temperature recorder, like an adhesive label, is an excellent ally in the food industry.