LAUSR

Abstract An experimental study was performed in order to investigate the effects of operating conditions, including door opening frequency, ambient air temperature and product-occupied volume, on the air and product temperature distributions inside a closed refrigerated display cabinet. The product position in the cabinet is a determining factor of its temperature: a high temperature was observed at the front, particularly at the top of the cabinet, and a low temperature was observed at the back. Air infiltration due to door openings caused a product temperature increase at the front and a temperature decrease at the back. At a higher door opening frequency (more than 60 openings per hour per door), the product temperature at the level of the front middle shelf was the most affected. Both the ambient temperature and occupied volume also affected product temperature variations in the closed display cabinet. In comparison to an open display cabinet, a closed display cabinet achieves lower product temperature and better temperature homogeneity, even with a high door-opening frequency. These findings indicate that the use of closed refrigerated display cabinets should be advocated in order to achieve better food preservation.