Keeping it at just above the temperature at which it will freeze doesn’t prevent it from spoiling, but it significantly extends the time it takes to spoil and become unfit for human consumption.
But how does someone in the chain from catcher to consumer know that a consignment or individual package has been kept at the correct temperature until it reaches him or her? The temperature at the point of arrival can be duly checked, of course, but has it been at that level for the whole journey?
There have been many horror stories of drivers of trucks carrying fresh seafood switching off their refrigeration units for part of a journey – because the weather is cold – and boxes of fish left on the tarmac of airports while waiting for an aircraft to take them to their next destination.
In order to provide an answer to this question, various time/temperature monitoring devices have been developed.
Such devices usually have a visual indicator which changes colour if a particular temperature has been exceeded, thus providing a clear indication that there has been at least one lapse in temperature control during a journey.
However, the device manufactured by one of the exhibitors at this month’s Seafood Processing America exhibition, PakSense, goes further than that. The Boise, Idaho, USA-based company has produced a temperature recording ‘label’ which lights up if a set temperature is exceeded (Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are incorporated in the indicator.)
The label is flat and can be attached to a box or carton. It therefore measures surface temperature, which PakSense claims is a much closer approximation of actual product temperature. “Traditional units simply supply ambient temperature reads,” it says.
“Our seafood customers appreciate that PakSense Labels are waterproof, sealed in food-grade packaging and can be laid directly on top of product for highly accurate temperature reads. Those features, combined with the label’s small size, enable it to be used in a variety of scenarios. We’ve even seen the PakSense Label attached to the claw of a [live] lobster via a rubber band,” says the company.
Unlike other time temperature devices on the market, PakSense labels utilise a temperature sensor that does not require ongoing calibration to maintain accuracy, says the company, and they can monitor the temperature of a perishable product’s environment for up to 90 days, it adds. Furthermore all data collected by the label can be downloaded and graphed to pinpoint when and for how long product was out of temperature specification.
“Label programming is done for you in advance, you simply snap or press the button in the corner of the label to activate it and apply it to product or product packaging,” says PakSense.
Seafood Processing America, which will be held alongside the International Boston Seafood Show at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from 14-16 March. Together the two shows are said to form North America’s biggest seafood event with more than 800 exhibitors.
Keeping it at just above the temperature at which it will freeze doesn’t prevent it from spoiling, but it significantly extends the time it takes to spoil and become unfit for human consumption.
But how does someone in the chain from catcher to consumer know that a consignment or individual package has been kept at the correct temperature until it reaches him or her? The temperature at the point of arrival can be duly checked, of course, but has it been at that level for the whole journey?
There have been many horror stories of drivers of trucks carrying fresh seafood switching off their refrigeration units for part of a journey – because the weather is cold – and boxes of fish left on the tarmac of airports while waiting for an aircraft to take them to their next destination.
In order to provide an answer to this question, various time/temperature monitoring devices have been developed.
Such devices usually have a visual indicator which changes colour if a particular temperature has been exceeded, thus providing a clear indication that there has been at least one lapse in temperature control during a journey.
However, the device manufactured by one of the exhibitors at this month’s Seafood Processing America exhibition, PakSense, goes further than that. The Boise, Idaho, USA-based company has produced a temperature recording ‘label’ which lights up if a set temperature is exceeded (Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are incorporated in the indicator.)
The label is flat and can be attached to a box or carton. It therefore measures surface temperature, which PakSense claims is a much closer approximation of actual product temperature. “Traditional units simply supply ambient temperature reads,” it says.
“Our seafood customers appreciate that PakSense Labels are waterproof, sealed in food-grade packaging and can be laid directly on top of product for highly accurate temperature reads. Those features, combined with the label’s small size, enable it to be used in a variety of scenarios. We’ve even seen the PakSense Label attached to the claw of a [live] lobster via a rubber band,” says the company.
Unlike other time temperature devices on the market, PakSense labels utilise a temperature sensor that does not require ongoing calibration to maintain accuracy, says the company, and they can monitor the temperature of a perishable product’s environment for up to 90 days, it adds. Furthermore all data collected by the label can be downloaded and graphed to pinpoint when and for how long product was out of temperature specification.
“Label programming is done for you in advance, you simply snap or press the button in the corner of the label to activate it and apply it to product or product packaging,” says PakSense.
Seafood Processing America, which will be held alongside the International Boston Seafood Show at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from 14-16 March. Together the two shows are said to form North America’s biggest seafood event with more than 800 exhibitors.
