Page 67 - FoodFocusThailand No.247 November_December 2026

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STORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICSORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICS

PREDICTIVE COLD CHAIN

RISK MANAGEMENT FOR

THE FOOD INDUSTRY

The main problem in the modern food chain is not that we produce too little. It is that we can’t see what
happens to food along the way. Fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood remain biologically active after harvest
or catch, and they keep deteriorating depending on temperature, humidity, gases and time. If you can’t
see the real condition of your products along the way, you end up guessing. You allow extra time, throw
out stock to be safe, and fix problems only after they happen. Every one of these habits costs money.

The numbers are striking. Research suggests that about Advanced Freezing and Thawing:
one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted each year, Protecting Quality from the Start
an economic loss of roughly US$936 billion. Temperature Freezing and thawing are among the most important
failures in the cold chain are linked to around 620 million processes for protecting food quality in the cold chain.
tonnes of food waste and about 1.8 billion tonnes of CO - In freezing, advanced technologies do more than lower
2
equivalent emissions annually. Around 14% of all food the temperature. They control how ice crystals form and
is lost after harvest, before it reaches the shop, and another grow, which helps protect the structure and texture of
17% is thrown away by retailers and consumers. For some the food. Here are three examples of advanced freezing
products, the losses are far higher: up to 30% for fresh technologies:
fruit and vegetables and 30–40% or more for seafood in • High-Pressure Freezing (HPF/HPSF) applies pressure
developing countries. of about 200 to 600 MPa to increase supercooling. When the
These figures show why we need to track the condition pressure is released, ice forms rapidly and evenly, producing
of food throughout the supply chain. The goal is to combine small, uniformly distributed crystals.
digital tools, including IoT sensors, AI, edge computing, • Ultrasound-Assisted Freezing (UAF/UIF) uses
blockchain, biosensors, smart packaging and digital cavitation and vibration from ultrasound waves to trigger ice
twins, to move from reactive checking to proactive formation, reduce crystal size and reduce water loss.
monitoring, prediction and correction. In practice, however, • Electric Field-Assisted Freezing (EFAF) uses an
success depends on sensor reliability, model accuracy, electric field to encourage ice formation and guide crystal
data integration, standards and regulations, cost, and the growth, helping preserve structure and texture.
readiness of your staff. Technology can help at every step,
starting with the way food is frozen.

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