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Food storage tips
Why do foods spoil?
The essence of optimum food storage is excellent food care.
The fundamental principle of improving food care is minimizing the quality losses associated
with storage, including physical, chemical and microbiological changes, eg. moisture loss,
bacterial growth, quality deterioration; and reducing the effects of undesirable factors, eg. dry
air, light, unwanted moisture, odors, vibration and temperature fluctuations.
Foods spoil or deteriorate in quality for one or more of the following reasons:
The growth of bacteria, moulds or yeasts.
Chemical or biochemical reactions
Moisture loss
Absorption of foreign odors or flavors
How can you slow down food spoilage?
Temperature control
Cold temperatures will slow down bacteria, mould and yeast growth. Remember the faster you
chill or freeze your food the safer it will be from microbial growth and the better quality it will
retain for longer. Once chilled to below 39°F / 4°C or frozen to 0°F / -18°C the temperature must
be kept constant and accurate without large temperature fluctuations.
Chemical and biochemical reactions
Such reactions occur naturally in fresh produce and are what cause foods to ripen and eventually
to decay. Chemical reactions are slowed down at colder temperatures. This means your fruits
and vegetables will ripen more slowly and therefore last longer when stored at refrigerator
temperatures. The colder the temperature the slower this reaction will occur.
Moisture loss
Most food contains at least 60% moisture. The air in a refrigerator is very cold and therefore
will dry out foods over a period of time. It is recommended that food is covered or wrapped to
prevent unnecessary moisture loss.
Absorption of foreign odors and flavors
Exchange of odors can occur in many foods. Food such as eggs, butter and milk will absorb
odors readily from fish. Fruit and eggs will also absorb flavor from onions. It is important to wrap
odorous food to prevent this flavor transfer.
Your
CoolDrawer
has constant and accurate temperature control, providing a stable environment
for your food. This combined with rapid cooling and freezing rates reduces the rate at which
food will deteriorate.
