Temperature control (Storage)
Introduction
A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An uninterrupted cold chain is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage and distribution activities, along with associated equipment and logistics, that maintain quality throughout a desired low temperature range.[1] It is used to preserve and extend and ensure the storage life of products, such as fresh produce,[2] seafood, frozen foods, photographic film, chemicals, biological products and pharmaceuticals.[3] Such products, during transport and when stored temporarily, they are sometimes called cold load.
Unlike other goods or merchandise, cold chain goods are perishable and are always en route to the end use or destination, even when temporarily stored in cold stores, and are therefore commonly referred to as "cargo" throughout their logistics cycle.
History
Mobile ice refrigeration of the ice trade began with refrigerated ships and refrigerator trucks (refrigerators on wheels) in the mid-century. Mobile mechanical refrigeration was invented by Frederick McKinley Jones, who co-founded Thermo King with businessman Joseph A. "Joe" Numero. In 1938, Numero sold his movie sound equipment business Cinema Supplies Inc. to RCA to form the new entity, U.S. Thermo Control Company (later Thermo King Corporation"), in partnership with Jones, its engineer. Jones designed a portable air cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable foods, for which they obtained a patent on July 12, 1940,[4] after a challenge to invent a refrigerated truck during a 1937 golf game with Numero colleagues: Werner Transportation Co. president Harry Werner and United States Air Conditioning Co. president Al. Fineberg,[5][6][7][8].
This technology has been used frequently since the 1950s, when it was most commonly used to preserve cells or tissues of animal origin. As medical advances have occurred, such as in cancer treatment, demand for cold chain systems has increased. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated vaccines have caused a huge increase in need.[9].
Uses
Contenido
Las cadenas de frío son habituales en las industrias alimentaria y farmacéutica y también en algunos envíos de productos químicos. Un rango de temperatura común para una cadena de frío en las industrias farmacéuticas es de 2 a 8 grados Celsius (35,6 a 46,4 °F), pero las tolerancias específicas de temperatura (y tiempo a temperatura) dependen del producto real que se envía.