Research into Covid infections in cold rooms shows harnessing air quality improvements guarantees safety and quality:

During the Covid pandemic one of the workplaces where people were most frequently infected in cold rooms where food processed (meat & fish). This is in fact not strange as in such places the contamination sources are by logics. However, this now acknowledged, shortly after research on why Covid infections took so much often place there. All to further increase food and personnel safety.

It may be clear from now that airborne bacteria and fungi-spores pose a significant economic challenge in the meat industry for years. Traditionally, believed was that contamination occurred primarily through contact with contaminated surfaces. However, we now know that airborne contamination plays a crucial role in food and personnel safety.

During the slaughter process, cold storage, and meat animal processing, pathogenic airborne bacteria and spoilage organisms can infiltrate products when landing on the meat in process.

Airborne contaminants (bioaerosols) include bacteria, fungi, viruses, and pollen. These microscopic particles suspended in the air wil affect food and personnel safety.

Pathogenic bacteria attach to dust particles and condensation, traveling throughout the processing facility. They contact with food products, containers, equipment, and other surfaces during processing.

What are the sources of bioaerosols:

• Wastewater, rinse water, and spilled product that become aerosolized contribute to contamination affecting food and personnel safety.
• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (even with HVAC) generate airborne microorganisms due to moisture levels.
• Worker activity, equipment operation, sink and floor drains, and high-pressure spraying also release bioaerosols.
• Conveyor systems cause bacterial aerosols adhering to conveyor surfaces.
• Walls and doors, not even air-curtains can separate truly clean and unclean areas. Airborne bacteria, yeast, and fungi, spread anyway.

Bacterial families found in ambient air of cold food processing rooms:

• Gram-negative airborne bacteria from the families Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae.
• Gram-positive airborne bacteria from genera like Staphylococcus, Macrobacterium, Bacillus, and Micrococcus.

Air Quality Recommendations for food and personnel safety:

Meat and fish processing factories are susceptible to the spread of airborne viruses and microbes due to specific temperature, humidity, and production conditions. The different production processes can create excess particulates in the air, providing optimal conditions for airborne viruses to survive longer. Unless harnessing quality BLUEZONE UV-C irradiation in combination with UV-CO3 oxidation technology is active. Neutralizing the ambient air without filters at high humidity rates! Our specialists help you define what model and in what setup will provide sufficient mitigation of airborne contaminations, guarantees food and personnel safety!

Written by Eppo Woortman
From Assumptions to Assurance in Logistics
Temperature & Fresh Preservation Consultant

This article is part of the developing FATA-IN-LOGISTICS knowledge initiative, dedicated to temperature control, freshness preservation and sensitive goods logistics.