One could argue that the earliest example of cold chain dates back to the late 1700’s as British fishermen created new ways to ship seafood. However, the way that food was preserved and transported was undoubtedly transformed by the ice trade, which began in 1806 as the result of Frederic Tudor, a New England entrepreneur.
The first shipments took place when Tudor transported an initial trial cargo of ice to the Caribbean Island of Martinique. His initial sales were hampered, however, by the lack of local storage facilities, and as a result his ice stocks quickly melted away. Learning from this experience, Tudor then built a functioning ice depot in Havana. Despite the U.S. trade embargo declared in 1807, he was trading successfully by 1810, and after the war of 1812 Tudor began to export fruit back from Havana to the mainland on the return journey, which he kept fresh with parts of his unsold ice cargo.
By the 1830s and 1840s, the trade in New England ice expanded across the eastern coast of the U.S., while new trade routes were created across the world. The first and most profitable of these new routes was to India. Tudor expanded into South America with shipments of ice to Brazil along with chilled apples beginning the ice trade with Rio de Janeiro. These ships typically returned to North America carrying cargoes of sugar, fruit and, later, cotton.
Mobile refrigeration with ice started by way of reefer ships and refrigerator cars (iceboxes on wheels) in the mid-19th century. The first successful refrigerated cargo ship carrying bananas went from Jamaica to the United Kingdom in 1901.The term cold chain was first used in 1908. Yet, it wasn’t until 1930, that the modern version of the cold chain came about. History tells us that in 1930, Frederick Jones designed and patented a portable air-cooling unit for trucks. By the late 1930s, this technology was being used on both rail cars and trucks carrying perishable cargo long distances. As highways grew and air travel took flight, so did the cold chain.
Today, cold chain is a global temperature-controlled supply chain network. It is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage, and distribution activities, along with associated equipment and logistics, which maintains quality via a desired temperature and humidity range. Any product known to be or labeled “perishable” will likely need cold chain management. This could include foods like grains, fruits, fish, milk products and meats, but would also entail chemicals, medical supplies, and pharmaceuticals.
Cold Chain Complexities
Cooling systems, which bring food up to and keep it at an appropriate temperature during all aspects of the supply chain, including processing, storing, and transporting are critical to the safety of all temperature-sensitive products. Considering the intricacies of a temperature-controlled supply chain network, cold chain logistics is comprised of multiple systems that relies heavily on monitored and regulated temperature and humidity data.
Adequate cold storage, in particular, can be crucial to prevent quantitative and qualitative food losses. Cold storage facilities store goods and products waiting to be transported and is deemed as one of the foremost components of the cold chain to maintaining the temperature of perishable foods or temperature-sensitive products. Each group of perishable food or product has its particular parameters of storing, which if not maintained are dangerous for the consumers and may result in the withdrawal of batches of goods from the market.
Many products deteriorate quickly at room temperature, and faster still as temperatures rise. Food items such as fruit, meat and fish cannot be shipped long distances without refrigeration. In some instances, chilling to 13°C (55°F) is sufficient for produce to be sold fresh (or that does not freeze readily) such as bananas. Eggs are another example, where humidity control is also required.
Other products need to be frozen to prevent deterioration. Dairy products require cold storage at (4⁰C), fish and marine product (-18⁰C), leafy vegetables and citrus fruits (0-2⁰C), tropical fruits (5-13⁰C), frozen vegetables (-18⁰C) and ice cream products (-29⁰C). The same is true for many pharmaceutical and medical products. The Healthcare Distribution Management Association estimates that some 10% of drugs are temperature sensitive. Vaccines and blood products are other examples of medical products needing strict temperature control, although these are sometimes subjected to freeze-drying through the lyophilization process.
Cold Chain Transportation
Similarly, cold chain transportation relies on several methods to keep goods at a stable temperature and humidity level preventing losses and waste. How long the transport is, the size of the packaged shipment and seasonality are all factors that affect which method is used. Gel packs are often used for medical and pharmaceutical shipments. Dry ice can keep goods frozen for extended time periods and are typically used for dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals, and food. Liquid nitrogen, which is extremely cold, is utilized to keep items frozen for longer periods but is primarily used during transport of biological cargo (organs, tissues).
Vaccine shipping requires specific temperatures to keep vaccines potent and viable. One common temperature range for a cold chain in pharmaceutical industries is 2 to 8 °C (36 to 46 °F), but the specific temperature (and time at temperature) tolerances depend on the actual product being shipped. Unique to fresh produce cargoes, the cold chain requires to additionally maintain product specific environment parameters which include air quality levels (carbon dioxide, oxygen, humidity, and others).
Yet, the need for temperature control during transport extends beyond products for human consumption. Some specialist paints or coating materials will be damaged by exposure to low temperatures. Other chemicals must be kept within strict temperature limits during transportation. Another area is the shipping of antiquities and works of art. For this humidity can be a bigger concern than temperature as it can lead to mold, especially if the two are combined.
Reefers, a temperature-controlled, insulated van, semi, truck, or standard ISO container allows for temperature-controlled air circulation protecting sensitive foods and products during transit from the point of origin to delivery at grocers, retailers, or pharmacies. Throughout this chain the risk of failure is ever-present, meaning there is always a risk of cargo exceeding permissible or safe temperature and humidity levels, even if only briefly.
Proven TydenBrooks Cold Chain Solutions
If your company is importing, exporting, or trucking perishable-sensitive products, chances are you already know how refrigerated cargo works. However, unexpected technology failures, routing mistakes, ETD changes, and other factors can all contribute to losses or tarnish reputations. Therefore, the best action is to add cargo solutions that ensure the safety and security of your cold chain shipments.
Here are proven TydenBrooks solutions you can implement, today;
1) Time-Sensitive Temperature Indicators
The maximum-minimum thermometer was invented around 1780, and for a long time was the only means of recording the highest and lowest temperatures observed over a given period. Besides employing mercury as the expansion medium, its other weakness was the absence of any time record. As a result, while such a thermometer could be included in a shipment of fruit there would be no way to know when or for how long the peak temperature was experienced. Without this information it’s difficult to determine responsibility for any spoilage.
The same applies to humidity indicators. Various types are available, most of which utilize some color-change effect to show either the peak humidity experienced or the current humidity. As with the max-min thermometer though, there is no time record to support claims for negligence. In transporting a perishable-sensitive product, it’s becoming ever more important to provide records of the temperatures and humidity to which cargo has been exposed.
Two cost-effective TydenBrooks solutions is our WarmMark© and ColdMark© time-sensitive temperature indicators. The WarmMark is a single-use, ascending time-temperature indicator which alerts users of exposure to unacceptable temperature conditions. ColdMark, is a single-use descending temperature indicator. The ColdMark turns from clear to violet when the temperature goes below a predetermined threshold.
Learn more here: https://tydenbrooks.com/spotsee-impact-tilt-temperature-indicators/
2) Connected “active” Tracking and Monitoring Devices
The global perishable-sensitive products sector is a complex supply chain network of touch points. Meeting the demands of today’s cold chain requires an end-to-end real-time monitoring solution. Our line of TydenBrooks connected devices, coupled with our cold chain expertise, help growers, retailers, grocers, suppliers, shippers, and exporters mitigate losses and waste. Through our Track Secure platform and Tyden trackers, the TB-HGR4 and TB-HGD4, you have full access to the refrigeration stats of your goods throughout a shipments entire route. Any breaches are easy to detect, as is the length of time the temperature or humidity was affected.
Designed for use in cold chain and asset monitoring applications our TB-HGR4 or TB-HGD4 solutions provide your operations with seamless reporting of location, temperature, humidity, light, movement, and shock levels in real-time. These “active” devices can be embedded into the freight including cartons to provide instant visibility when a breach is made at the case level.
TydenBrooks’ TB-HGR4 unit is rechargeable via Qi wireless charging and offers 40 days reporting at 1-hour {stationary); 15 min {in motion), and 10 sec sensor monitoring (assumes 8hrs of motion per day). The popular TB-HGD4 is a non-rechargeable connected device which lasts up to 60 days. Both devices are NIST traceable and IP67 rated. They have the option of being used as a standalone device or in combination with our BLE Tyden Tags creating an expanded sensor network.
Whether you need to verify the location, temperature, or humidity of in-transit shipments for a potentially life-saving medicine or need to verify the security of perishable-sensitive products, we have the tracker that fits your requirements.
Learn more here: https://tydenbrooks.com/product/tb-hgd4-tracker/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/fx2Wf5Msc8s
Securing the Worlds’ Cargo Since 1873
As we approach our 150th year in March 2023, TydenBrooks continues to lead with innovative security seals and active connected devices to identify tampering and mitigate theft of your goods. We offer uniquely designed security products and solutions to fit any industry application and protect your cargo anywhere on the globe.
Remove the uncertainty of your cold chain shipments today with a free consultation from our team of industry experts. Please contact us at [email protected] to secure your personalized consultation.
Order online at www.tydenbrooks.com or contact our customer service team @ 1-800-458-7235 (SEAL).
