Survey on Storage Temperature of Domestic Major Chilled Foods in Refrigerator

Abstract

We investigated temperature management for refrigerated foods in large discount markets, department stores, and convenience stores. Eleven stores in the Seoul area were used to examine temperature maintenance for frozen and refrigerated foods, including soybean curds (tofu), fish surimi, mook, wet noodles, kimbab, and salads. The surficial and central temperatures of foods in a refrigerator and a freezer were examined. While the difference between the highest () and the lowest () temperature spaces in a refrigerator was , the corresponding difference between the highest () and lowest () food surface temperatures was . The average temperatures of both chilled food surfaces and refrigerator spaces were (max. ) and 8.2 degrees C (in. ), respectively. The temperatures of chilled food surfaces were for soybean curds, for fish paste, for kimbab, for salads, for wet noodles, and for mook. Our results indicate that chilled foods require careful management for storage at temperatures below with careful recording of the warmest area of the refrigerator.