The Benefits of a Refrigerated Container
Refrigerated containers are cold storage units commonly used in the food market industry to deliver perishable goods. Not only that, they can also be used for personal and business use. There is a wide range of uses for refrigerated containers and they come in a range of sizes, such as the 40’ high cube reefer container and the 20’ reefer container, which makes them perfect for any type of businesses that need them, whether big or small and suitable for road, sea and air transportation.
The most common way that a refrigerated container is used is to keep food and perishable goods that require certain temperature conditions, because it is of utmost important that the food or goods remain fresh upon arrival, and that they are in pristine condition. Standard refrigerated containers are made to maintain a temperature of between -25 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius for chilled and frozen cargo. There are some global reefer fleets that can even maintain temperatures of below -35 degrees Celsius or lower, and special freezer containers can maintain a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius. The way that the refrigerated containers work is that they can automatically control cooling with their supply air sensor and detect and change the temperature.
By and large, goods transported in refrigerated containers are separated into two categories, chilled and frozen. Chilled cargo includes fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood and meat, milk and dairy products, eggs, fresh juices, confectionary and flowers. However, it is not as simple as storing these goods in a cooler box. Fresh fruits and vegetables need oxygen and they generate heat as they are transported after harvest. The fresh goods also continue to produce carbon dioxide even after harvest. Hence, fresh ventilation is needed for fruits and vegetables to remain fresh. The air has to flow through the container uniformly and circulate through the packaging while refreshing oxygen levels. Cold rooms and reefer containers make use of computer systems to monitor and create a controlled atmosphere to maintain the atmospheric composition to keep the harvests fresh.
Furthermore, keeping the harvests in cold rooms and reefer containers can destroy fruit flies, larvae or eggs in a process called cold treatment. By avoiding the use of chemicals, and subjecting the cargo to low temperature, this is a much more environmentally friendly way to keep the harvests free from pests. They are also a much healthier option for the consumers.
On the other hand, frozen goods such as frozen seafood, foods with high fat content like ice cream needs to be stored in freezing temperatures. The benefit of reefer containers for both chilled and frozen goods is that they can be partitioned to create different departments at different temperatures, so both frozen and chilled good can be stored in the same container.
Also, businesses will benefit from renting cold rooms, which are insulated spaces to maintain a fixed temperature or range, to keep their perishables fresh. Not just cold rooms only, but businesses can also consider using reefer containers as a temporary cold room for food events and remote sites like expos. This is because reefers are self-contained refrigerated units. To add on, unlike reefers, walk-in freezers are not mobile, so reefers would make a better choice as the products can be placed near the location it needs to be used in.
Especially for food businesses, storage spaces are crucial. Renting a cold room can be a game changer because it can help them save paces while technology ensures it does not cause heating problems while reducing noise. Unlike normal refrigerators that will lose their cooling capabilities in a short time without electricity, reefer containers can keep the good cold for longer periods of time.
More than food and perishables cold rooms and reefer containers can also be used to store or transport pharmaceutical or medical care products, film or photo equipment, chemical and sensitive industrial products. These are products that require humidity protection during transport and due to their fragile nature, they need to be stored or transported with utmost care. Reefer containers can help ensure that these products are transported and stored safely at the optimum temperature. It being mobile means that the medical care products can be placed near hospitals or vaccine sites so that they are easily accessible.
