Investigation on the Actual State of Temperature Control in the Raw Meat Distributing Chain for Chilled Beef

쇠고기 포장육의 냉장유통을 위한 국내 유통망의 온도관리 실태 조사

Good temperature control in the chill chain is imperative for maintaining safety and quality of the fresh meat. Therefore, the actual state of temperature or relative humidity histories of fresh meat product from carcass chill room to retail shop and the temperatures of chill and freezing rooms at local butcher shops were monitored by means of data loggers. The relative humidity and air temperature in carcass chill room were between 86 and 98%, and -3 and 0$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The surface temperatures of boxed beef measured in winter, when the outside air temperature was measured between -2 and -5$^{\circ}C$, were recorded between 1 and 3$^{\circ}C$, although transport vehicle switched off the chilling unit during transportation, However, the inside temperatures of chill transport vehicle measured in summer, when the transport time was prolonged to maximum 8 hrs, were raised to 10 to 15$^{\circ}C$, in worst case up to 25$^{\circ}C$. In that case, however, the inside temperature of boxed beef was maintained generally lower than 5$^{circ}C$ as the loading and unloading were finished within 30 min. The storage temperatures for meat in the subfreezing room, at which the butcher shops in local market are used to set to facilitate the thin slicing of meat, were measured between -2 and -8$^{\circ}C$. Furthermore, the temperatures of storage room for vacuum packaged meat in the chilled meat retail shops were maintained generally between 0 and +2$^{\circ}C$.