What is cold chain?
Cold chain refers to the special supply of certain products in the process of processing, storage, transportation, distribution, retail and use, all links are always in the specific low temperature environment necessary for the product to reduce loss, prevent pollution and deterioration, and ensure product safety. Chain system.
The cold chain has been deeply integrated into the lives of the people. It can be said that all aspects of our lives are inextricably linked with the cold chain. The scope of application of this "chain" is very wide, including primary agricultural products, processed foods, and special commodities (such as medicines and vaccines). Of course, cold-chain foods are the most closely intertwined with life, and refrigerator and freezer foods are always in the specified low-temperature environment in cold-chain logistics, which can ensure food quality and reduce food loss.
The storage period of foods transported by cold chain logistics is one to several times longer than that of ordinary refrigerated foods. Temperature control through circulation links can effectively reduce microbial growth and food spoilage. At the same time, in the process of cold chain logistics, through the method of gas regulation, the breathing state after fruit and vegetable picking is inhibited, so as to achieve the effect of keeping the fruit and vegetable fresh. It can be seen that cold chain logistics plays an important role in improving our quality of life and convenience.
So, what is the core magic weapon of cold chain logistics? Where is the key to its value?
First of all, one of the core components of cold chain logistics is "temperature control and insulation", which includes a constant temperature and humidity cold storage that has precise requirements for the humidity and temperature of stored items and a "modified atmosphere cold storage" that plays a role in air conditioning and freshness preservation.
The so-called air-conditioning preservation is to reduce the oxygen concentration in the air from 21% to 3%~5%. On the basis of the cold storage, a set of air-conditioning system is added to utilize the combined effect of temperature and oxygen content control. Reach the breathing state after harvesting fruits and vegetables.
Secondly, cold chain storage is also an indispensable part, which is generally used for fresh agricultural products.
The third is cold chain transmission. At a certain temperature, through the use of required transmission machinery, utensils, etc., the sorting, picking and packaging of fresh agricultural products can be achieved.
Fourth is cold chain loading and unloading, which is a very important and difficult step. When refrigerating and freezing items, the unloading vehicle and the unloading warehouse shall be sealed to ensure that the temperature rise of the items during unloading is controlled within the allowable range. When the unloading operation is interrupted, the doors of the transportation equipment should be closed immediately to keep the refrigeration system in normal operation.
Fifth is cold chain transportation, which is an important link in cold chain logistics. Cold chain transportation costs are relatively high, and it includes more complex mobile refrigeration technology and incubator manufacturing technology. Cold chain transportation management contains more risks and uncertainties.
In order to realize automatic and efficient operation of the entire cold chain logistics process, the use of information technology is inevitably indispensable, that is, the information control of the cold chain. Information technology is the nervous system of modern cold chain logistics. With the support of the system information platform, it is easy to realize the strategic collaborative management of all the resources of the enterprise, reduce the cost of cold chain logistics, and improve the market competitiveness and management level of cold chain logistics enterprises.
Can cold chain food still be eaten?
Generally speaking, the lower the temperature, the longer the virus will survive. In an environment of minus 20°C, the virus can survive for several months, even in ordinary cold chain transportation, the virus can survive for several weeks. If the contaminated items, including food or outer packaging, are transported through the cold chain in an area with a high incidence of the new crown epidemic, the virus can be brought to a non-epidemic area, thereby causing contact transmission.
However, no new coronavirus infection caused by direct consumption of cold-chain food has been found so far. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus, which is mainly spread through respiratory droplets and close human-to-human contact, and the possibility of infection through the digestive tract is very low. From the epidemiological traceability analysis, the infected population is a high-risk population, such as porters, who repeatedly come into contact with the outer packaging of imported cold-chain food in a specific environment.
Many authoritative experts have stated that my country has entered the stage of normalization of the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and there is no need to panic about the recent cases in several regions. However, it needs to be emphasized that winter provides a more suitable environment for the spread of the new crown virus relying on cold chain logistics, so it is necessary to prevent people and objects.
In terms of "prevention of materials", cold chain inspection and quarantine is a link that requires special attention. It is necessary to establish a standardized and orderly food inspection and quarantine work, arrange special personnel to manage the transportation work with large transportation volume, long distance and high probability of pollution, do regular cleaning, disinfection and other sanitary treatments, and implement real-time monitoring and temperature recording of cold chain logistics Work to ensure that the quality of the food in the transportation process meets the requirements and ensure the safety and sanitation of imported food.
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