Effective cold chain temperature monitoring is a must to ensure that fruits and vegetables maintain their freshness and quality throughout transportation and storage. Cold chain monitoring and its challenges can undermine the reliability of issues such as inaccurate sensor readings due to calibration problems and improper sensor placement, which can lead to misleading data. Connectivity issues in large-scale or remote cold chain logistics temperature challenges further complicate real-time data transmission. Additionally, managing batteries with cold chain temperature monitoring devices and protecting sensors from environmental damage are ongoing concerns that require careful attention.
Why Is Temperature Monitoring Required In Cold Chain?
Fresh produce should be stored at the ideal temperature throughout the cold chain through regular temperature monitoring, which helps extend the shelf life of perishable goods. You can reduce the hazards associated with temperature changes, which can have a major impact on product quality and freshness, by continuously monitoring and managing temperatures from manufacturing to consumption. Maintaining the texture, flavor, and nutritional content of fresh produce while adhering to recommended temperature ranges satisfies consumer demands for premium products. This methodical technique ensures that consumers always obtain fresh and safe produce while simultaneously protecting the integrity of the items and reducing food waste.
A few major variables influencing shelf life are:
- Managing methods
- Situation in the field
- Produce nearby emits ethylene
These days, the majority of large fleets utilize temperature and humidity monitoring systems to improve cold chain management and identify problems early.
How does tracking cold chain temperature help?
Data on cold chain temperatures provides important insights into the fresh produce supply chain, from harvest to client delivery. This information is beneficial in multiple ways.
Enhancing Food Quality
The freshness and quality of the produce are preserved by maintaining ideal temperature conditions.
Finding Improvement Areas
Due to the temperature fluctuations, the data makes it possible to make targeted adjustments by identifying the phases of the supply chain.
Shelf Life Prediction
Accurate shelf life estimates for produce can be obtained through regular temperature monitoring, which aids in improved inventory control.
There is still a lot of food wasted and lost in spite of these advantages; thus, there is still opportunity for development in terms of freshness preservation.
Maintaining the freshness and shelf life of vegetables involves more than just keeping an eye on the temperature. Continuous temperature data is important, but it needs to be paired with a thorough knowledge of the batch's past.
Temperature Is Not Enough on Its Own
It can be difficult to estimate freshness and shelf life purely based on temperature.
Entire Surveillance
To obtain a comprehensive view of the supply chain journey, it is advised to use a reliable, cloud-connected temperature monitoring system.
Temperature alone can’t extend the shelf life of produce. For instance, how do you choose which location to ship each batch of grapes if two batches are harvested at the same time and maintained at the same temperature?
Dynamic routing, or FEFO (First Expiring, First Out), ensures the batch that will expire first is shipped out first. Unlike FIFO (First In, First Out), which doesn't consider different shelf lives, FEFO guarantees buyers receive fresh, quality produce.
How to Make Real-Time Shelf Life Predictions
AI data analysis is used to evaluate the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in real-time.It's critical to estimate shelf life based on fresh produce's current condition to preserve quality and cut down on waste. Citrus Freight has created handheld scanners that use spectroscopic technology to predict the shelf life of fresh produce within a second. These scanners' rapid and accurate evaluations allow for better decision-making throughout the supply chain, ensuring that fresh fruits and vegetables reach consumers.
How Shelf Life Prediction Helps Dynamic Routing
Throughout the fresh produce supply chain, shelf life prediction is crucial for implementing dynamic routing. Rather than sending products into cold storage in the order they arrived, companies may now prioritize shipments based on how long they will stay fresh. Customers are guaranteed the freshest products available because of this strategy, called First Expiring, First Out (FEFO). The efficacy of such tactics is demonstrated, for example, by Walmart's Eden quality management system, which anticipates savings of about $400 million a year by reducing food loss and waste. When temperature monitoring data from the cold chain is combined with accurate shelf life predictions, a comprehensive perspective on logistical operations is produced that maximizes freshness and efficiency.
Imagine Being Aware of Your Fresh Produce's Shelf Life
Imagine being able to ascertain each fresh food batch's shelf life as soon as it is collected, regardless of whether it comes from a farm or a greenhouse. With this information, you would be able to carefully distribute each batch so that consumers only receive fresh, quality produce. Handheld scanners could be used in retail environments to rapidly determine each item's freshness before sale.
If this information could be viewed on computers or phones, it would allow for a comprehensive analysis of patterns in shelf life over time. Such insights might spur continuous improvements in handling, storing, and shipping, which would raise overall freshness and consumer satisfaction.
Farmers, suppliers, and sellers have many possible ways to use it:
- More intelligent choices while harvesting
- Automated dynamic Routing
- Unbiased benchmarks for the entire supply chain
- In-store dynamic pricing
- Elimination of expiration dates and additional
- And Others
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a number of obstacles that cold chain temperature monitoring must overcome to effectively maintain the safety and quality of perishable goods. Supply chain experts can negotiate the complexity and guarantee the safe delivery of goods that are sensitive to temperature by eradicating these major issues and upgrading innovative solutions.
At Citrus Freight , our areas of expertise include careful handling, exact temperature control, and stringent compliance with international laws. You can count on us to receive the goods in the best condition.