cool storage

[Weedo]

Hello

This may be the wrong forum for this question given that most people are in the northern hemisphere but......
I have opportunity to obtain a fairly large (approx 10sqm) operational cool store for only removal cost. For my climate which has winter temps in the low C teens the obvious uses are 1/ chilling mammalian protein during processing 2/storing processed products like salamis & hams and 3/storing "roots" which otherwise cannot be effectively kept in this climate otherwise and 4/ very short term storage of fresh harvest.

Anyone have any experience with using a coolroom for other purposes? the thought of cold air drying has popped up.
(MKG / GA - the 5/ is obvious if I can get it down to 3C which is OZ beer standard temp)

[Green Aura]

I don't have any personal experience but I do have a few thoughts, as always .

I assume that, like a fridge, a coldroom will have different temps between top and bottom, so if you can organise it well it should be good for the things you've mentioned. I don't know what temp range they have but would imagine it's a lot colder than your ordinary domestic fridge. My first question would be how long does raw meat keep in refrigeration?

I'm not sure about the air drying - you need good air circulation as much as/more than an optimal temp, but it would obviously be good for storing the finished product. H&S would dictate not storing raw meat near processed but I'm sure you could organise that satisfactorily, especially if you're only wanting to store sufficient for home use.

My only other thought is how much do these things cost to run (more than a couple of chest freezers)? I would imagine it's quite expensive, but probably not as expensive as spoiled meat. I suppose the decider might be if you want it for domestic or commercial use.

[Weedo]

This type of coolroom is designed to be relatively portable. It is made up of bolt together chiller panels; a thick layer of insulation (usually polystyrene) covered in a thin layer of fibreglass insulation and sandwiched between sheets of aluminium. The cooler part is a module with a refrigerator unit coupled to a fan - very similar to a domestic air conditioner but bigger and colder. There is no internal piping and the air is moving all the time.

The intention with the meat is to store it temporarily, in body form. between demise and processing - about 5 days. I know that in this type of coolroom, as compared to the fully refrigerated ones, the body needs to be wrapped to prevent it drying too much; which is why I though it may be used for cold drying of other foods.

It may be too expensive to store root vegetables but this needs to be balanced against buying fresh for 6 months of the year. I don't have a clue what temp I would need it at the keep produce fresh but a guess around 5 C? Even if it was switched off, it would be the coolest place I have - except the fridge

[Green Aura]

I think 5C is the temp of a domestic fridge, so hopefully it would be a little lower - I've never kept raw meat in the fridge for 5 days, but maybe I'm just chicken.

[Weedo]

The difference between storing red meat in carcase form and cut form is that the muscles are "wrapped" in connective tissue that links to the tendons; this provides a barrier. When the carcase is dressed out to the cuts we use, the muscle is normally sliced across the membrane opening the muscle to the air and reducing longevity.

[Green Aura]

Well I never knew that! Thank you.