Generally speaking, perishable foods need to be stored and transported by refrigerated trucks in Chongqing. These foods mainly include fruits and vegetables, meat and eggs, seafood, and processed foods such as frozen foods, ice cream, and dairy products.

The complete cold chain includes the following links: pre cooling after harvest, freezing and refrigeration equipment for food processing, road and refrigerated transportation, low-temperature storage, distribution, retail refrigeration, and refrigerated display cabinets.

According to reports, the total annual loss in cold chain transportation in China is as high as 75 billion yuan. Temperature is undoubtedly the number one killer of cold chain. All foods contain microorganisms. The key to controlling food security and quality in the cycle is to regulate the growth rate of microorganisms.

The key to controlling microbial growth is to regulate temperature. An increase in temperature will lead to spoilage and an increase in the number of pathogenic microorganisms in food.

Usually, when the temperature rises by 6 ° C, the growth rate of microorganisms doubles and the shelf life is shortened by half. Due to the accumulation and irreversibility of quality degradation caused by temperature changes in the circulation of refrigerated food, different product varieties and quality requirements have corresponding technical indicators for product control and storage time.

A complete cold chain requires consistent temperature throughout the entire supply chain. Once the cold chain of the refrigerated truck breaks, the temperature will exceed the allowable fluctuation range and exceed the storage resistance of the food itself, even if the temperature returns to the storage temperature.

Microorganisms can also accelerate their reproduction, leading to an accelerated loss of nutritional quality in food. Microbial levels, quality, and nutrition are irreversibly damaged. In addition, the quality of cold chain vehicles is also influenced by many other factors.

Firstly, raw materials, processing technology, and packaging have shown great synergistic value in maintaining food quality under cold chain conditions; Secondly, specific technical operations, such as cooling and cleaning in the cold chain, are also low-temperature and prone to decay.

The technical and theoretical foundations to be followed in food processing and distribution. Mechanical damage during operation and in unclean and easily contaminated environments can exacerbate the quality loss of perishable foods in cold chain environments. These factors collectively affect the quality of the cold chain, thereby determining food security.