Disinfection of Cold Storage Rooms

Post-Harvest Belgium
A Belgian cooperation of over 1.450 fruit and vegetable growers manages over 300 cold storage rooms, with sizes ranging from 500 up to 1500 m³. The cooperation aims to provide high quality foods through continuous innovation.

A Belgian cooperation of over 1.450 fruit and vegetable growers manages over 300 cold storage rooms, with sizes ranging from 500 up to 1500 m³. The cooperation aims to provide high quality foods through continuous innovation. To enhance product preservation in cold storage rooms, they were in search of a fast & effective application that would disinfect their cold storage rooms to prevent cross contamination of newly delivered products. Their endeavor had so far only resulted in disinfection techniques that required too much time or proved insufficiently effective, until they contacted the Roam Technology expert team.

The challenge

Fruit and vegetables are stored after harvest in cold storage rooms in order to maintain high quality products until they have reached the end customer. Storage of the products at low temperature will inhibit or slow down the growth of a wide variety of micro-organisms. Even at the minimal temperature achievable without damaging the products, certain food and plant pathogens can still thrive. Good hygiene practices in the cold storage rooms are therefore important in guaranteeing the highest quality. Regular disinfection of empty rooms will prevent accumulation of bacteria and fungi and will eliminate the possibility of these micro-organisms infecting new incoming products.

Our solution

The Roam Technology expert team went on site to evaluate the current microbiological contamination in the cold storage rooms. Disinfection of the rooms with a fogger, provided by Roam Technology, in combination with Huwa-San TR-50 was performed. The concrete floor was additionally treated by spraying Huwa-San TR-50 to assure successful results.

The results

Fogging a Huwa-San TR-50 dilution results in effective disinfection of the walls and ceiling, eliminating nearly 90% of bacteria and fungi present before the treatment (Figure 1). Furthermore, a strong reduction of micro-organisms in the air is achieved (95% reduction; Figure 1). Additionally, the floor samples taken after disinfection show a strong reduction of micro-organisms due to the supplementary disinfection with a Huwa-San TR-50 dilution.

Figure 1. Surface disinfection of the walls and ceiling was proven to be effective as shown by the strong reduction in the number of pathogens present in the room, also the airsamples taken before and after disinfection indicated a strong reduction (CFU/m² or CFU/m³ after disinfection is expressed as percentage of the CFU/m² or CFU/m³ before disinfection).

Conclusion

Disinfecting cold storage rooms according to Roam Technology’s proven protocol results in strong reduction of bacteria and fungi on the surfaces and in the air, thereby diminishing the chance of cross contamination of the new harvest stored in the room.

  • >95% reduction of micro-organisms in the air
  • >90% reduction of micro-organisms on walls and ceiling
  • Prevention of cross contamination between harvests
  • Effective & efficient disinfection of large cold storage rooms
  • Requires minimal effort of employees
Post-Harvest
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Used products

Huwa-San TR-50 is a registered biocide. Use biocides safely. Before use, read the label and product information.

Biocides are governed by stringent regulatory frameworks, the particulars of which may differ across nations. In this instance, the application adheres entirely to the regulations of the respective country but may not necessarily comply with those of others. It is advisable to consult our in-house experts for guidance on particular applications.

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