Introduction

Food cold storage facilities are widely used by food factories, dairy plants, fruit and vegetable warehouses, poultry and egg storage facilities, hotels, supermarkets, and other organizations that need controlled-temperature storage.

They are commonly used for dairy products, meat, seafood, poultry, fruits, vegetables, frozen beverages, flowers, green plants, tea, and other temperature-sensitive products. By maintaining a stable temperature, cold storage can slow product deterioration and extend storage time.

However, refrigeration does not eliminate microbial contamination. Food materials may carry bacteria, yeasts, molds, and other microorganisms during cultivation, transportation, packaging, and handling. If storage conditions are unsuitable, these microorganisms may cause product spoilage and contaminate the cold-room environment, creating risks for products stored later.

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Fruit Storage Requires Product-Specific Temperatures

Different fruits have different storage requirements. A general fruit-storage temperature may range from approximately 0°C to 10°C, but the appropriate temperature should be selected according to the characteristics of each fruit.

For example:

• Cherries may require storage at approximately 0–4°C.
• Bananas are generally stored at a higher temperature, around 15°C.
• Pineapples may be stored at approximately 8°C.

Using an unsuitable temperature may result in damaged, spoiled, or rotten fruit. Cold-room operators should therefore avoid using the same temperature setting for every type of fruit.

Temperature management should be based on the fruit variety, maturity, storage period, and product requirements.

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Microbial Risks in Food Cold Storage

Food materials may carry microorganisms before they enter the cold room. Contamination can occur during growth, harvesting, transportation, packaging, and storage.

If contaminated or spoiled products remain in the facility, microorganisms may spread into the surrounding environment and affect future batches.

The main groups of microorganisms associated with food spoilage are:

• Bacteria
• Yeasts
• Molds

For fruit storage, mold contamination is one of the main concerns. Mold spores may remain on fruit surfaces, packaging materials, equipment, or environmental surfaces and spread within the cold-storage area.

For this reason, cold-room management should include both product preservation and environmental microbial control.

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Key Considerations for Food Cold-Room Disinfection

When treating a food cold-storage environment, Vantsteri engineers focus on several important issues:

1. Selecting a disinfecting agent that is suitable for food environments
2. Choosing a method that remains effective at low temperatures
3. Evaluating the compatibility between disinfectants and fruit preservatives
4. Reducing chemical residue risks
5. Protecting the appearance and quality of stored fruit

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Selecting the Appropriate Disinfecting Agent

Many conventional disinfectants become significantly less effective when the temperature falls below 10°C.

Some low-temperature disinfectants contain antifreeze ingredients or other additives. Their safety and suitability for food environments should be carefully evaluated before use.

Based on the characteristics of food cold-storage facilities, Vantsteri engineers use hydrogen peroxide as the disinfecting agent.

Hydrogen peroxide can decompose into water and oxygen after use, helping reduce persistent chemical residue. This makes it suitable for food environments where product safety and residue control are important.

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Food-Grade Hydrogen Peroxide

Food-grade hydrogen peroxide is purified through specialized processes to reduce harmful impurities and heavy metals.

It is characterized by:

• High purity
• Low impurity levels
• Good stability
• Reduced harmful contaminants

Food-grade hydrogen peroxide is used in food-related applications such as:

• Tableware sanitation
• Seafood processing
• Fruit and vegetable treatment
• Dairy production
• Beverage processing
• Meat processing
• Beer production
• Cleaning
• Bleaching
• Food preservation

Food-grade hydrogen peroxide should comply with the relevant requirements of GB 22216-2008, Food Additive—Hydrogen Peroxide.

Research and industry literature have also described the use of food-grade hydrogen peroxide in dairy products, beverages, fruit juice processing, aseptic packaging, seafood preservation, and fruit and vegetable production.

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Selecting the Appropriate Disinfection Method

Manual wiping or liquid spraying may not provide complete coverage inside a food cold room.

Vantsteri uses a non-contact vaporized hydrogen peroxide disinfection method. The system uses multistage energy-flow technology and microfluidic high-temperature vaporization technology to convert a 35% food-grade hydrogen peroxide solution into hydrogen peroxide vapor.

The vapor can spread through the treatment space and use its penetration and antimicrobial activity to control pathogenic microorganisms.

This method is suitable for treating environmental air and exposed surfaces while reducing the need for direct manual contact.

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, vaporized hydrogen peroxide technology designed for cold-chain environments was included in certain regional technical guidelines for the disinfection of imported cold-chain food and non-cold-chain goods in high-risk areas.

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Why VHP Is Suitable for Cold-Storage Environments

Vaporized hydrogen peroxide offers several advantages for food cold-storage disinfection:

• Non-contact application
• Broad environmental coverage
• Strong antimicrobial activity
• Ability to reach exposed and difficult-to-access areas
• Reduced persistent chemical residue
• Decomposition into water and oxygen

The actual treatment conditions should still be selected according to the cold-room temperature, room size, stored products, and environmental conditions.

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Fruit Preservatives and Disinfectant Compatibility

Modern fruit preservation may involve different chemical agents, including:

• Bacteriostatic agents
• Fungistatic agents
• Antimicrobial agents
• Antioxidants
• Other preservation products

Before applying an oxidizing disinfectant, Vantsteri engineers first test the preservatives used on the stored fruit.

Some preservatives contain antioxidants. These substances may react with oxidizing disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide and cause browning or other visible changes on the fruit surface.

For this reason, compatibility testing should be carried out before large-scale treatment.

The evaluation should consider:

• Fruit type
• Preservative ingredients
• Preservative concentration
• Hydrogen peroxide concentration
• Exposure time
• Storage temperature
• Potential appearance changes

This step helps reduce the risk of unexpected effects on fruit quality.

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Mold Control in Fruit Cold Storage

Mold is one of the main causes of fruit spoilage during storage.

Mold contamination may occur on fruit surfaces, packaging materials, storage equipment, or environmental surfaces. Once mold develops, spores may spread and contaminate nearby products.

Cold temperatures may slow mold growth, but they do not necessarily eliminate mold spores.

Effective control therefore requires:

• Appropriate storage temperatures
• Removal of spoiled fruit
• Environmental cleaning
• Suitable disinfection
• Preservative compatibility testing
• Ongoing monitoring

A disinfection plan should control the environmental microbial risk without creating unnecessary residue or damaging the stored fruit.

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Key Takeaways

• Food cold storage slows product deterioration but does not eliminate microorganisms.
• Different fruits require different storage temperatures.
• Incorrect temperature settings may cause damaged, spoiled, or rotten fruit.
• Bacteria, yeasts, and molds are the main microbial groups associated with food spoilage.
• Mold is a major concern during fruit storage.
• Many conventional disinfectants lose effectiveness below 10°C.
• Food-grade hydrogen peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen and helps reduce persistent residue.
• VHP technology provides non-contact, broad-coverage disinfection for cold-storage environments.
• Fruit preservatives may react with oxidizing disinfectants and cause browning.
• Compatibility testing should be completed before large-scale treatment.

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Conclusion

Food cold-storage management requires more than maintaining a low temperature.

Food materials may introduce microorganisms into the facility during cultivation, transportation, packaging, and handling. If storage temperature and sanitation are not properly managed, products may spoil and the environment may become contaminated.

Different fruits require different storage temperatures, and unsuitable conditions may cause fruit damage or decay. At the same time, many conventional disinfectants become less effective at temperatures below 10°C.

Vantsteri uses food-grade hydrogen peroxide and non-contact vaporized hydrogen peroxide technology for low-temperature disinfection. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen after treatment, helping reduce persistent residue in food-storage environments.

Before treatment, the compatibility between hydrogen peroxide and existing fruit preservatives should be evaluated. Some antioxidant-based preservatives may react with oxidizing disinfectants and cause browning or other quality changes.

For food cold rooms and fruit-storage facilities, an effective sanitation strategy should combine product-specific temperature control, appropriate disinfectant selection, VHP treatment, preservative compatibility testing, and microbial risk management.