Temperature and time impact on food safety in domestic refrigerator

The domestic refrigerator is indispensable kitchen device and very important link for food safety in food supply chain. Various studies of consumers’ food safety knowledge and practices show consumers’ insufficient knowledge about the importance of cold chain maintaining and carelessness by handling with foodstuffs. By consideration of fact that recommended time in which chilled foodstuffs are stored at required temperatures in case of electric power failure vary from two to six hours, it is necessary to gain information about internal temperatures of selected foodstuffs after power failure of domestic refrigerator at different environmental conditions. Measurements of selected foodstuffs internal temperatures in domestic refrigerator in case of electric power failure were done. The research includes different refrigerator exterior and interior conditions. The results have shown impact of exterior ambient temperatures and different degrees of refrigerator loading on internal temperatures of selected perishable foodstuffs’ while different frequencies of door openings did not correlate with internal temperatures of selected perishable foodstuffs. The biggest internal temperature difference after six hours of electricity cut-out appears by cream in case of empty refrigerator and high ambient temperatures. The opposite situation appears by frankfurters in case of full refrigerator and low ambient temperatures. Results pointed out the need upon reorganization of methods used for consumers´ education and better cooperation between consumers´ and producer of cold appliances.