9 replies to this topic

[jenmaw]

Hey, just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or knows to how solve it. We are a frozen food company and need to take the temperature of all incoming and out going product when its being shipped/recieved at the plant. Problem is we can't open anything before shipping because of the product tampering tape. Any suggestions?

[GMO]

Temperature prior to sealing then between pack / surface probes and calibrated alarms / logging which prove temperatures in transport / storage didn't drop which are checked prior to release?

Sorry about the poor English, baby is on my knee!

[jenmaw]

We do take the temperature prior to sealing but then it can be put into storage for a while so we need to take the temperature before it is shipped I was just wondering how we could get an accurate temperature of the product without reopening any totes.
Thanks,
Jen

[GMO]

I would say an accurate core temperture isn't possible, however, you could monitor the storage temperatures and ensure these do not fall outside of a given range and take surface temperature doing some validation work to confirm this is valid and representative. I can't see any other way of doing it tbh.

[Charles.C]

Dear jenmaw,

Not sure if I fully understand your lingo. Is “tote” a master (outer) carton or ??, ie an outer carton which may internally contain either single or multiple sub-packaging ?

Not sure if my comment below is the same thing as GMO / yourself were already discussing.

If my understanding of yr requirement is correct, one recognised method for assessing the internal temperature of contents is to, externally, insert a probe, typically a thermocouple, between master cartons. The only specific requirement IMEX is that a tight fit is achieved, ie good contact with both adjacent surfaces. The methodology always seemed rather illogical to me and I hv never seen an actual validation done as to how well the result correlates to an internal product core temperature however you can find this method approved somewhere in Codex if you look. I am presuming the tape you refer permits such external access / minute penetration. If not, the IR method is also a possibility I guess but maybe not measuring quite the same thing. In the past inspection companies supervising shipment used to physically spear the packaging and then insert a TC probe but the hygienic objections are rather obvious.

Rgds / Charles.C

[D-D]

In a previous job (pharma) we used dataloggers from Signatrol - small 'buttons' that slide into a reader with which you download the results. Sounds like you would need to work with your suppliers and customers to coordinate using them but they were cheap enough and the basic software was free.

[Ken]

The standard method in large storage & distribution companies I've worked with is to place the probe between 2 cases. This is considered sufficiently accurate but need to use a special probe which is designed for this purpose (the end of the probe is flattened)

[jenmaw]

Do you know the name of this probe?

[Tony-C]

Do you know the name of this probe?

Between pack probe - A sample can be seen here Model SX23L

Data Loggers suitable for transport monitoring - Example here

Regards,

Tony

[Esther]

Dear Jenmaw

I do not know exactly the reason why you are asking this: do you need a validaton study to show in an audit/to send to your customer or you need some method to do it in a regular basis?

Anyway, I agree to D-D and GMO, I would go for a validation study with a datalogger or similar. Obsviously, to do it, you will have to destroy al least one packaging product. But if you want to do it having in mind different scenarios then you will need destroy more than one.

Once you have your validation study you can use any of the other method suggested by other members in this forum, you will get roughly measuremets which can give you a good idea about what is going on in your product.

Best regards
Esther