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Layout and Design of Storage Structures

Food storage rooms must be designed to prevent pest entry even if food is packed. Temperature and humidity must be controlled, and smooth surfaces prevent pest hiding. Grains are stored in sealed silos, and moisture must be prevented to inhibit mold growth and mycotoxin production. Oils require temperature control to prevent water condensation and microbial contamination. Chilled food storage needs adequate temperature control, and condensation traps require cleaning. Packing materials prone to microbes need dry storage. Chemical and waste storage prevents product contamination.

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218 views

Layout and Design of Storage Structures

Food storage rooms must be designed to prevent pest entry even if food is packed. Temperature and humidity must be controlled, and smooth surfaces prevent pest hiding. Grains are stored in sealed silos, and moisture must be prevented to inhibit mold growth and mycotoxin production. Oils require temperature control to prevent water condensation and microbial contamination. Chilled food storage needs adequate temperature control, and condensation traps require cleaning. Packing materials prone to microbes need dry storage. Chemical and waste storage prevents product contamination.

Uploaded by

suresh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Food Storage Rooms

Food storage must be designed to make certain that insects and other pests cannot reach the food,
even if the food is packed. It must be possible to control the humidity to ensure that the area is always
dry. Temperature control and monitoring is essential for storage of perishable products. Entrance of
insects and small animals can be prevented by building the storage room on an elevated level, but
such that also the entrance is higher than the outside pavement. Further, the storage room should
meet the general requirements that also hold for the processing area to ensure that the space can be
cleaned: smooth walls and ceilings, no ridges, no surface cracks and other crevices where insects may
hide. Walls must be watertight to avoid wet surfaces on the inside. It is important that the lighting is
sufficient for inspection to spot any traces of vermin. There must be enough space between the wall
and the stored products for inspection.

Storage of Grain
Large qualities of grains (rice, wheat, corn, etc.) are usually stored in silos. Self-evidently, the silos must
be sealed to avoid the entrance of vermin. Chances are, however, that there are insects already in the
grain. Measures should be effective in ensuring that there will not be any larger animals in the silos.
The insects should be prevented from multiplying by keeping the product dry. Insects, like other
animals and people, need water to survive and the absence of water may perhaps not kill all insects,
but at least the survivors would be dormant. Another, equally important reason to make certain that
the grain remains dry is to prevent mold from growing. Molds produce metabolites that are toxic
(mycotoxins) for humans in very low concentrations. For instance, Aspergillus species produce a
variety of aflatoxins. The EU regulations require that the concentration in grains for human
consumption of all aflatoxins together is below 4 μg/kg. Ochratoxins are produced by
some Aspergillus as well as Penicillium species. The maximum concentration in grain for human
consumption of Ochratoxin A, the most important one, is 3 μg/kg (these are parts per billion, 1:109).
Mycotoxins are also harmful to animals (e.g. horses) and hence the above also applies to feed.
The problem with large silos is that it is difficult to ensure that the temperature is the same
everywhere in the product. Temperature differences, however, will cause transport of moisture to the
colder spots, which subsequently may become moldy and thereby toxic. It is therefore recommended
to use thermally insulated silos.
Storage of Oils
The solubility of water in oil is strongly temperature dependent. At 20°C the solubility in sunflower oil
is approximately 75 mg/kg; at 40°C it is about 50% higher. The consequence is that in oil that contains
more water than is soluble at the lowest temperature in the storage tanks, water will separate. In
addition, if the tank is not well insulated, water may condense at the inner wall of the tank. Because
of its higher density, all water will sink to the bottom of the tank and where there is water and
nutrients, microbes will grow and therefore the oil becomes contaminated with microorganisms that
in turn may produce potentially toxic substances. The message is that it is important to control the

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Layout and design of storage structure
temperature of the room for storage of oils and to prevent oil from cooling down. In other words,
letting the temperature drop in wintertime to save energy is not a good idea from a microbiological
safety point of view.

Storage of Chilled Food

Self-evidently, chilled food storage rooms need adequate temperature control. It is important to take
into account that lighting and ventilators produce heat and that as a consequence, despite the
temperature control, there are temperature differences in the cold room. Similar to chilled rooms for
food processing, condensate trays underneath cooling units should slope towards a drain, from where
it is led to a hygienic drain pit. The trays need regular inspection, cleaning and disinfection.

Storage of Packing Material


Some packing material, in particular carton and paper and the increasingly popular biodegradable
materials, are substrates for microorganisms and should therefore be kept dry to prevent microbial
growth. Other materials, like glass, metals and non-biodegradable polymers, can be stored in areas
without temperature and humidity control, unless the humidity at the location can be extreme.
Switching from non-biodegradable to biodegradable materials will probably need measures to
prevent microbiological problems.

Storage of Chemicals and Lubricants


The design and location of the store for chemicals for cleaning and sanitation must be such that any
risk of contamination of product and packing material with chemicals is avoided. The store must be
provided with a lock and there should be no direct connection between product areas and the
chemicals store. The same holds in principle for lubricants, glues and inks needed in the process and
packaging areas, unless the lubricants, glues and ink comply with the requirements for food contact
material or they are used only in areas where the product is packed in well-sealed containers.

Storage of Refuse and Waste Materials


Waste materials, such as used cartons and boxes, must have adequate space for storage, enabling
“good housekeeping” in the entire factory. Without such spaces, pests (including rodents,
cockroaches) will find places to harbor and breed.

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Layout and design of storage structure

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