The temperature at which food is stored is very important because it affects their appearance, nutrients content, taste and their safety most importantly. This is very much true for commercial refrigeration equipment because they have to follow the strict rules of food service industry regulations. It is important to understand that keeping a high temperature is not good enough to keep the food fresh and not let it perish.
The refrigeration equipment is used to keep the food at a lower temperature so that the growth of bacteria is slowed and this feature makes them so ideal and perfect for the perishable foods like produce and cooked meats while a glass door display freezer is used so that the growth of bacteria is completely stopped.
The average temperature operating range for the commercial units is mostly between 36 F and 45 F because if the food is stored at a temperature is lower than 36 F there is a very high risk of freezing items that are not stopped frozen like the milk and dairy products and if it is stored at a higher temperature than 45 F the food will get spoiled. The colder the food it the longer it will last which makes 38 F a perfect temperature for refrigeration at commercial level but the freezer temperature ranges are mostly much colder.
The type of food that is about to be stored because some foods are more sensitive to the lower temperatures than others. Apart from the type of food the type of refrigeration unit also has an effect on at which temperature that needs to be set.
Some of the guidelines for temperature ranges based on the refrigeration type that you may use commercially:
Reach-In Refrigerators = 35 F to 38 F
Walk-In Refrigerators = 35 F to 38 F
Reach-In freezer = +5 F to -10 F
Walk-In Freezers = 0 F to -10 F
Ice Cream Freezers = -10 F to -20 F.
The commercial refrigeration needs some time to stabilize their temperatures and the size of the unit also effects the time needed for stabilization of temperature, the bigger the size of the unit the longer will it take to stabilize the temperature. It is also important to know that you when the temperature is being adjusted wait for a whole day and make sure to check it again before you store any food in the unit.
Once the temperature is stabilized how can the temperature be maintained? The temperatures will increase when the equipment doors are open as the thermostats are located near the doors and this can sometimes raise a false temperature readings so if you notice that the temperature readings are above normal then close the doors of the equipment for five to ten minutes and then check the readings again.
Another important thing is to make sure that the staff handling the refrigeration units is educated about the importance of keeping the doors of freezer and fridges closed because it can lead to a lot of inaccuracies of thermostat which is not good.
