A cold storage warehouse is an insulated, mechanically refrigerated warehouse in which perishable products are stored within a specific temperature and humidity range. Chilled rooms usually operate between 0 and +8 °C, and freezer rooms at −18 °C and below. Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products, frozen food, vaccines and pharmaceuticals are the main users of these warehouses.
What sections does a cold storage warehouse consist of?
Rather than a single large cold room, think of a structure made up of sections separated according to different product groups:
- Pre-cooling tunnel: Rapidly lowers the temperature of products arriving from the field or from production.
- Chilled rooms: Store fresh produce, dairy products and pharmaceuticals at constant temperatures above zero.
- Freezer and blast-freezing rooms: Freeze products rapidly and keep them at −18 °C or below.
- Controlled atmosphere rooms: Slow down the ripening of products such as apples and pears by lowering oxygen and adjusting carbon dioxide.
- Refrigerated loading area and dock shelters: Prevent a break in temperature during transfer between the vehicle and the warehouse.
Which product is stored at which temperature?
The values below are typical ranges used in practice; the product's own regulations, variety and the buyer's specification determine the exact value.
| Product group | Typical temperature | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cherries, grapes, apricots | Around 0 °C | Relative humidity 90–95%; water loss and stem drying are the biggest risks |
| Apples, pears | 0–4 °C | Controlled atmosphere for long-term storage |
| Bananas, some citrus fruit | Above +10 °C | Excessive cold causes "chilling injury" |
| Fresh meat, dairy products | 0 / +4 °C | Varies according to product regulations |
| Frozen food | −18 °C and below | Lower for ice cream |
| Cold chain pharmaceuticals, vaccines | +2 / +8 °C | Freezing also counts as a deviation |
| Controlled room temperature pharmaceuticals | +15 / +25 °C | Heating may also be required |
Why is pre-cooling so decisive?
Cherries harvested in midsummer arrive from the orchard at 25–30 °C. Putting this produce straight into a storage room overloads the room's cooler, and the fruit in the middle of the crates stays warm for hours. With forced-air pre-cooling, cold air is forced through the crates and the produce reaches the target temperature within a few hours; for some products, hydrocooling with cold water is used. For sensitive export products such as cherries, the time between harvest and pre-cooling is one of the main factors determining shelf life.
How are monitoring and recording carried out?
Calibrated sensors in each room record the temperature continuously and raise an alarm when a threshold is exceeded. Temperature data loggers travelling with the product also provide evidence of the transfer between warehouse and vehicle. In pharmaceutical warehouses, the GDP rules for pharmaceutical storage, based on the EU Good Distribution Practice guidelines, require temperature mapping of the storage area and retention of records. For products with an expiry date, stock is usually issued following the FEFO principle.
What determines energy consumption?
Electricity is the biggest expense in cold stores. Insulation panel thickness, the time doors are left open, the tightness of dock shelters and the choice of refrigerant directly affect consumption. Ammonia or carbon dioxide systems are common in large facilities. Slightly over-cooling the room on the night tariff to reduce the daytime load is also a frequently used method.
Common mistakes
- Putting warm produce into a storage room without pre-cooling.
- Placing ethylene-producing fruit and ethylene-sensitive products in the same room.
- Assuming the reefer vehicle will cool the product; the vehicle only maintains the temperature, and in cold chain road transport the product is loaded at the target temperature.
- Routing alarm notifications to an address nobody checks outside working hours.
How does Voltim Global support this?
For pharmaceuticals and temperature-sensitive products, GDP requires the transfer between warehouse and vehicle to be recorded and controlled; Voltim Global carries out these shipments with GDP-certified partners. Within cold chain logistics, pre-cooling of the vehicle before loading and temperature recording throughout the trip are planned together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can different products be stored in the same cold room?
How is cold storage rental priced?
Sources
- EUR-Lex – Guidelines of 5 November 2013 on Good Distribution Practice of medicinal products for human use (2013/C 343/01)
- WHO – TRS 1025 Annex 7: Good storage and distribution practices for medical products