Minimising product moisture loss in professional service cabinets

This paper investigates how refrigerated cabinet design can improve temperature stability and minimise product moisture loss, thus reducing food waste and enhancing raw and cooked product quality. The safe storage limit of perishable products was tested in three professional service cabinets with different evaporator designs (orientation and temperature), airflow distribution and velocity. A representative small sample of meat, fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice with a comparable freshness and shelf life was used for the test. The same frequency of door/drawer openings was performed in all refrigerated cabinets over an extended period to simulate typical restaurant operating conditions. At the end of the test period there was a visible difference in cabinet temperature and relative humidity which had a direct impact on product weight loss, final product value and overall organoleptic quality.