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11 - The cold chain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2009

By
J. P. Emond
Edited by
Stephen B. Miles ,
Sanjay E. Sarma  and
John R. Williams
Stephen B. Miles
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sanjay E. Sarma
Affiliation:
MIT Auto-ID Labs
John R. Williams
Affiliation:
MIT Auto-ID Labs
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Summary

The cold chain is a concept resulting from the field of the transformation and distribution of temperature-sensitive products. It refers to the need to control the temperature in order to prevent the growth of micro-organisms and deterioration of biological products during processing, storage, and distribution. The cold chain includes all segments of the transfer of food from the producer to the consumer. Each stage crossed by a temperature-sensitive product is related to the preceding one and has an impact on the following one. Thus, when a link of this “cold chain” fails, it inevitably results in a loss of quality and revenue, and, in many cases, leads to spoilage.

The cold chain concept can also be applied to many other industries (pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, electronics, artifacts, etc.) that require the transport of products needing to be kept within a precise temperature range, in particular at temperatures close to 0 °C, or even below [1]. Owing to very strict rules from government agencies the expression “cold chain” has even become one of the key sentences at the heart of current concerns in the pharmaceutical field and in biotechnology [2].

The food industry

Temperature is the characteristic of the post-harvest environment that has the greatest impact on the storage life of perishable food products. In some regions of the globe, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, post-harvest losses of horticultural crops are estimated to be more than 50% of the production due to poor post-harvest handling techniques such as bad temperature management.

Type
Chapter
Information
RFID Technology and Applications , pp. 144 - 156
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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