Estimation of Safety and Quality Losses of Foods Stored in Residential Refrigerators

Rodríguez‐Martínez, Verónica; Velázquez, Gonzalo; Massa-Barrera, Sofia; Welti‐Chanes, Jorge; Fagotti, Fabian; Torres, J. Antonio

doi:10.1007/s12393-019-09192-1

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 92 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These dynamic conditions can be evaluated by predictive microbiology models assessing spoilage and pathogen risks without using time‐consuming microbial testing which are also not practical when used for refrigerated foods stored in the homes of consumers. When estimating the shelf life and safety of refrigerated products, predictive microbiology models should not be used following deterministic approaches, that is, relying only on average or extreme values without considering the inherent variability and uncertainty of the model and of the product and environmental conditions (Rodriguez‐Martinez et al., 2019). This leads to results poorly describing the impact of refrigeration conditions lowering the confidence in recommendations on how to manage and store refrigerated products before their final consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, probabilistic microbial assessment approaches account for the variability and uncertainty present in the microbial response generating more accurate estimations of food safety and shelf life. These approaches generate probability distributions for the assessed product quality and safety indicators by accounting for the relevant sources of uncertainty and variability (Akkermans et al., 2018; Koutsoumanis et al., 2010; Rodriguez‐Martinez et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ambient temperature, refrigerator food load, and door openings effect on a preservation performance indicator based on chicken temperature data and predictive microbiology

Martínez-Martínez

Quiroz

Fagotti³

et al. 2023

Journal of Food Science

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Home preservation depends on the food matrix, refrigerator design/technology, consumer actions, and ambient temperature. Storing different food matrices in product‐relevant refrigerator locations generating different temperature histories can be used to develop an indicator of how refrigerator technology, consumer habits, and environment conditions impact the refrigerator food preservation performance. In this study, poultry, particularly prone to spoilage reflecting its pH, nutrient availability, and high aw, was used to evaluate refrigerator preservation performance as affected by compressor technology (single [SS] and variable speed [VS]), ambient temperature (21.1°C [LT] and 32.2°C [HT]), and refrigerator load (22.5 kg [RL] and 39 kg [HL]). Time‐temperature values collected for chicken breast stored in a drawer independently controlled at 0°C in a refrigerator set 5°C, and a Pseudomonas predictive microbiology model, were used to estimate a normalized refrigerator performance indicator (RPI). Values <1, ∼1, and >1 described excellent, good, or poor performance, respectively. A first analysis revealed that up to 54% of chicken breast temperatures were above its recommended refrigerated storage value. When ignoring variability sources, SS technology yielded RPI values ranging 0.61–0.70, whereas the more energy efficient VS compressor yielded values ranging 0.86–1.14. The higher and wider VS RPI range reflects a compressor control logic optimized for energy efficiency compliance while disregarding effects on food preservation. When considering the variability of model parameters and temperature measurements through one‐sided 95% confidence intervals yielded RPI reaching 1.16. Although the independently controlled drawer preservation performance was near optimal, it can improve by considering energy use and preservation impact when optimizing the compressor speed control protocol.Practical ApplicationWorldwide poultry meat consumption has reached 15 kg per person. Refrigeration is widely used for its safety and quality preservation. Efficiency regulations decreased the energy use of residential refrigerators by nearly tenfold even though their size increased by 50% in the last half century. In this study, we provide quantitative evidence that their preservation performance must be improved. This is particularly true for upper end units typically equipped with quieter and more energy‐efficient variable speed compressors. The same methodology can be used to evaluate the preservation performance of the storage units, trucks, and display cases used for refrigerated products.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%