ABSTRACT

552The transportation and storage of food products are two very important unit operations in the food processing industry. Because of the biological and fragile nature of foods, and the ever-present threat of attack by insects and microorganisms, the design of transportation and storage systems poses special challenges and problems. Therefore, sanitary and microbiological considerations play important roles, and the design considerat ions include the use of stainless steel and other approved materials of construction, the use of sanitary fittings, the design of pipelines to eliminate stagnation zones and to facilitate drainage of the foods, the control of temperature and humidity of storage, and minimal contact with oxygen to minimize degradation reactions. Foods are stored either for relatively short periods of time in food processing plants when used as ingredients for processed foods, or they are stored for extended periods in warehouses, where they are held as part of the distribution sector. In this chapter, the emphasis is on in-plant storage, although some of the principles are also applicable to storage of foods on a large scale in warehouses.