Location
Jimmy's Farm, Butchers Shop, Ipswich, Suffolk
Background
The fridge is a converted sea container situated at the rear of the butchers shop. It is accessed from a footpath at the rear of the buildings. The fridge is used to house the carcasses of beef, lamb and pork which hang for anything from 7 days to 28 days. The fridge is usually quite full. There is a PVC curtain over the door but the container sits in full sun. No shade or shelter.
Test Protocol
Comparison trials were done with and without the FiltaCool panels, with a data-logger installed in the fridge, and an energy meter attached to the mains cable, for a 7 day period before the panel installation, and a subsequent 7 day period after the panels had been installed and allowed to acclimatise. A beef carcass was weighed on arrival from the abattoir and again just prior to being jointed after a 28 maturation period had elapsed. The weight loss at this stage was recorded. During Phase 2- a new beef carcass was weighed on arrival and its weight loss during the maturation period recorded again.
Dates ·
Phase 1 – Pre Test – 2nd June 2009 to 17th June 2009 ·
Acclimatisation – 17th June 2009 to 24th June 2009 ·
Phase 2 – Post Test – 24th June 2009 to August 31st
General Observations
Ceiling and walls of the fridge were often damp with condensation during Phase 1, and the grill on the fans was showing evidence of severe ice build up. (See Appendix vi). During Phase 2 the Ceiling and walls were generally dry, and much less icing was observed.
Summary of Results
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 | |
| Beef carcass | Weighed in at 260.7 kg | Weighed in at 299 kg |
| Weight after 28 days maturation is 252 kg | Weight after 28 days maturation is 287.5 | |
| Loss | 3.34 % loss on hanging | 3.85% loss on hanging |
The butcher commented that the fridge felt colder and fresher with the FiltaCool panels in place.
Conclusion
Weight loss figures on the Beef carcasses are effectively the same, when the margin of error is accounted for due to fat content of the individual carcasses, so the case for reducing weight loss on whole beef carcasses is unproven.
The interesting, although unexpected, positive results were with the pork and lamb carcasses, which were not weighed as the length of time they usually remain in the fridge is much shorter.
Jamie noticed that the overall condition of the pork and lamb remained better with the panels in place, and that the appearance of the meat was superior to those hung prior to the use of the FiltaCool panels.
Net result of this was a reduction in trimming of the pork and lamb which, although not quantified, will deliver cost savings to the business.
Fridge temperature was definitely colder with the FiltaCool panels in place, showing a reduction of just under 0.5 °C on average when compared to the period prior to installation.
This is an even more impressive result when taken alongside the fact that average ambient temperature was more than 6 °C higher over the same period.