Putting an end to rejected products
A device to help manufacturers control and log food storage and temperature and comply with legislation, has been developed by Universal Master Products (UMP).
Traditionally temperature monitoring and recording has concentrated on the air in the cold environment, using plastic balls, lumps of wood or solid metal as food simulants. But, according to UMP, these can be misleading and have overlooked one crucial area - the food.
"There are many instances every month of products being rejected or discarded, because the wrong data is used, yet with proper monitoring and control using the actual food temperature, the high level of product rejection and disposal can be reduced dramatically," it says.
Its solution is the EndoCube - a food wax in a double skinned container that reacts to temperature changes in the same way as any food product. It has been designed to warm up slightly faster than food to enable it to be used as an early warning system in conjunction with automated temperature monitoring equipment.
The EndoCube also functions as a food simulant to control the thermostat. This bases the fridge/freezer cycle on food temperature rather than the
circulating air, resulting in energy savings of over 35%, claims the company.
The EndoCube is fully patented in Europe, the US and Australia as both a food simulant and for its use in automated telemetry monitoring devices.
It is also approved in the US as a food temperature simulant.
As an alternative to food temperature probes, the company has also developed EndoTherm - an alcohol thermometer immersed in a food-based gel that displays a temperature equivalent to that of food (and not the air) in the same location.
Also new to the market is loggit (see picture left), a wireless refrigeration monitoring system that records the actual food temperature (and not the air).
The company says the Loggit is flexible and can be used as a stand-alone system or with different alarms or sensors.
It automatically logs the temperature of the food, which is then downloaded on to a PC, with optional remote data access. The operator decides on the frequency of logging and also the alarm criteria.
Contact: UMP Tel: 0845 6447978
