Perishable product: classification, storage and distribution features

The category of perishable products include those that need special conditions of storage, transportation and sale. What products are perishable, how to store and transport them properly, read in the article.

What does shelf life mean on the package?

This is such a period of time, during which all the properties of the goods are preserved. In short, this is a time-limited use of products. It is set by GOST, where the first date on the marking indicates the manufacture of the product, and the second - for the period of its validity or the date after which the product irreversibly changes its properties and becomes unsuitable for use.

Classification by expiry date

On this basis, all products are divided into the following types:

• Particularly perishable are products that can not be stored in conditions where low temperatures are not maintained. Their shelf life is limited. These products can be stored from six to seventy-two hours.

• Perishable product - with a shelf life of three to thirty days at a temperature of not more than six degrees.

• Not perishable - such products can be stored without observing the temperature regime for a month or more. Under the condition of storage, the exposure of sunlight to products and humidity is taken into account.

What products are called perishable?

This category includes such products, the storage of which is possible under special temperature conditions. Implement them in a short time. Terms and timing of storage of different products differ.

Perishable products include:

• Cheeses, melted milk, cottage cheese with heat treatment. The period of storage does not exceed five days.
• Mixtures of milk and sausages boiled in a sealed package. They can be stored for ten days.

Which foods are particularly perishable?

They are stored only in conditions with low temperatures. Especially perishable products are:

• Dairy products are natural - you can store up to thirty-six hours. If the manufacturing technology provides for the addition of preservatives and the packaging is vacuum, the shelf life is extended.
• Fish chilled - up to twenty-four hours, provided that the temperature will be from zero to minus two degrees.
• Meat products - no more than forty-eight hours.
• Frozen fish - at the same temperature as the chilled, only its shelf life is forty-eight hours.
• Salads dressed - up to twelve hours.
• Cakes - up to sixteen hours, cakes - up to seventy-two.

Storage in the freezer

To save for a long time products, they need to freeze. Freezing chambers are designed for storing fish, meat, frozen fruits, vegetables, berries, mushrooms. But they are not stored indefinitely, the term of use also ends.

However, it is possible to keep a perishable product so that it is fresh and suitable for consumption. For this, the following recommendations should be considered:

• The products must be hermetically sealed. Special containers for freezing are suitable for this. They are easy to buy in the store, focusing on the type and quantity of the product.

• Portions need to be done so that it is enough for one time. Do not defrost and re-freeze the food several times, especially meat or vegetables.

• Each perishable product must be marked, indicating the date of its placement in the cell. This is necessary in order to consume the product no later than two to three months from the time of freezing. Longer storage times are not allowed.

Terms of storage of perishable products

For each type of food they are significantly different. What are the storage terms of perishable products in freezers?

• Sausage products and sauces recommend storing no more than two months;
• Raw meat frozen can be stored for a long, whole year;
• Meat and poultry, chopped into pieces - up to nine months;
• Semi-finished products, fish and minced meat - about four months.

Individual products after their defrosting lose flavor. For example, milk and processed products such as butter, cheese and sour cream are also frozen, but the quality of their taste changes for the worse. If the shelf life of the products has passed, and their smell, taste or appearance after defrosting is doubtful, it is better to throw everything away.

Terms of storage of food in the refrigerator

This kind of household appliances is designed to extend the shelf life of products and their freshness for a short time. What products are perishable stored in the refrigerator? Here are some of them:

• Meat chilled, smoked sausage, milk, cream, sour-milk products - three days;
• Sausage boiled, fish chilled and fried - two days;
• Not dressed salads - twelve hours;
• Ready meals from vegetables - one day.

Confectionery products filled with protein cream or fruit should be stored for no more than three days; From creamy - one and a half days; Custard - six hours.

The storage conditions for perishable products, even in the refrigerator, are different. It is necessary to observe the tightness of the package. For this purpose, use containers, foil or paper. Packages of polyethylene are not recommended.

Storage of perishable products is carried out depending on the location of the shelf in the refrigerator. The closer it is to the freezer, the colder it is. The warmest place is the door shelves. Products with a shorter shelf life are placed on the upper shelf, the rest - taking into account the increase in shelf life. The bottom boxes are designed for fruits and vegetables, they do not require wrapping.

How to protect yourself from the use of poor-quality products?

When buying food , pay attention to the expiration date indicated on the label.

A few tips regarding product quality:

• Buy perishable goods on the market in the morning, until they melted.
• Buying products in the store, you need to inspect the label for its peeling off. If there are traces of glue, then the goods are re-marked, since the expiry date of its validity has expired. Such products do not need to be bought.
• If any product smells unpleasant, it is spoiled, it should not be bought.
• When the product is unpacked, the shelf life is reduced. Therefore, it is better to eat it immediately or put in the refrigerator for a short time, indicated on the label.
• If there is any doubt about the quality of the product, it is better not to buy it.
• If possible, arrange the products with heat treatment.

Transportation of perishable goods

Before you begin to transport this category of products, you need to know by what criteria they are classified. Perishable product There are different origins:

• Vegetable - this category includes vegetables and fruits;
• Animal - fish, meat and milk;
• Products of their processing - fermented milk, sausage, fats.

On the mode of transportation:

• Frozen - transportation is carried out at -6 ^o C;
• Refrigerated - the products are transported at a temperature of -5 ° C.

For transportation of perishable products use different types of transport, but in any of them there should be one temperature regime. Specialized isothermal vehicles are cars with or without a trailer. The walls of the body, the door, the roof, the floor are made of thermo-insulating materials, which limit the heat exchange between the two surfaces: external and internal. These include:

• Automobiles-glaciers, the source of the cold is ice of natural origin.
• Automobile refrigerators - have a refrigeration unit that allows you to maintain the temperature in a given mode.
• Road trains, the bodies of which are divided into sections and equipped with refrigeration units. They have microprocessors that automatically adjust the temperature.

Each vehicle must meet hygiene requirements, for which the internal walls of the body have a treatable coating. Its disinfection is carried out not less than once in ten days.

Marking

There is a huge variety of product names. Each of them has its own package with marked markings. It shows how long the product is good. On the packaging of particularly perishable products, the complete manufacturing date is printed: time, date, month. Marking of perishable products includes only a month and a day. Not perishable products are marked only by the month and year of manufacture.

Information on storage conditions must be indicated on the packaging. The packaging itself should not be broken, not contaminated, with a clear indication of the expiration date or the date of manufacture.