At FineFoods in 2017, Skope launched their stunning range of black refrigerated cabinets. On show was the BME1200-A. Damn, what a sexy fridge!
All fridges are not equal when it comes to food safety
When the temperature is fluctuating frequently (for example when the door is opened and closed frequently) and the fridge is working hard to maintain its optimum level, the quality and potentially the safety of your food is at risk. By getting a handle on this and maintaining a more consistent temperature level in your fridge, you are guaranteeing a higher quality level of food and reducing the risk associated with poorly stored food.
One way to do this is to restrict the amount of times that a door is opened and closed. This reduces the time the food is exposed to warm air outside the fridge but is not a viable solution during busy service hours.
Another way to look at the problem is to consider the accuracy of the temperature being recorded from inside the fridge – you will often see an increase in temperature when the door is opened. This is due to the cold air spilling out from the fridge and the temperature internally rising.
SKOPE has become aware over recent years of cheaper imported products entering the market that appear not to display a temperature increase on the controller. This may be down to the placement of the temperature probes inside the fridge and where the temperature is being logged. If the sensor or probe is placed where the cold air is spilling out (rather than where the returned air is circulating inside the fridge), you will see a decrease on the temperature display when the door is opened.
However, this is not only impossible, it is misleading and dangerous. Customers can easily be fooled into believing their fridge is working as the temperature reading on the controller is moving up and down, but not necessarily understand what this means for food safety and safe product temperatures.
How cool is SKOPE?
SKOPE's test objective is to guarantee average temperature readings inside the fridge within 0.5 accuracy. Their state-of-the art environmental test chamber has significantly increased testing capacity at SKOPE and is continually improving accuracy in temperature control for food safety.
SKOPE sets high standards to ensure customer expectations are exceeded. They design products that are made to last, with a focus on tight temperature control and rapid pull down of temperature, in the harshest of climates.
How airflow helps achieve consistent temperatures
Air is the most commonly used heat transfer in refrigeration systems. We typically remove heat from a refrigerated space by circulating cooled air throughout the fridge. A good airflow pattern is critical to an even and consistent spread of chilled air onto a product. In SKOPE fridges, chilled air is pushed directly onto the product. It is a commercial refrigerator’s job to keep the product inside in optimal conditions for as long as possible, to ensure food safety. Many "market-standard" fridges fall well short of this objective.
A poor airflow pattern will result in fluctuations in a product’s core temperature affecting its flavour, quality and nutritional integrity. For food to remain safe, the internal temperature must not go higher than 5°C. Many inferior fridges can't maintain these tight temperatures during busy periods and seasonally warmer temperatures, even though the temperature display may say otherwise. A good airflow pattern will keep tight cabinet temperatures, regardless of the frequency of outside fluctuations.