From the moment you harvest, the freshness of your fruits, vegetables, meat or seafood begins to degrade. But with dry ice, supplied by the company Dry Ice International, you can slow this process down, ensuring that your product is fresh and presentable when it gets to the consumer.

Fruits like berries are highly sensitive to temperature changes. Here dry ice is used for the initial sorting and packaging process. By maintaining a consistently low temperature, dry ice helps to prevent the growth of microbes and slows down enzyme reactions that can lead to the product spoiling.

Transporting products is one of the most critical phases and this is where dry ice proves most valuable. The ability for dry ice to sublimate — turning directly from a solid to a gas at temperatures higher than -78,5 degrees Celsius — makes it an ideal refrigerant.

Unlike regular ice, dry ice does not leave any residue that could water-log packaged foods, which is particularly important for maintaining the texture and value of food products like mushrooms and spinach.

Dry ice is extensively used in air transport, where weight and efficiency are very important. It allows airlines to ship perishables over long distances without the risk of spoilage. Similarly, in the seafood industry, fish and shellfish harvested from remote locations are often packed in dry ice to maintain their freshness until they reach markets or processing facilities.

Once the products arrive at their destination, maintaining the cold chain is essential. Dry ice is used to store meat and seafood at supermarkets and keep them at an optimal temperature, especially in open or semi-open displays where traditional cooling methods may not be as effective.

During power outages and other disruptions dry ice can temporarily replace mechanical refrigeration systems and prevent financial loss due to spoiled products.

Then there are more innovative ways that dry ice can be used to preserve food. Dry ice blasting is a technique where dry ice pellets are propelled to clean surfaces. This can be used to sanitise equipment without the use of water or chemicals.

Dry ice plays a pivotal role in the food industry, offering versatile, efficient, and reliable solutions for preserving the freshness of food from the farm to the table.

Its ability to maintain low temperatures, leave no moisture residue, and serve in various logistical applications makes it an indispensable tool in the battle against food spoilage and waste.

You can contact Dry Ice International via their website at www.dryice.co.za.