In an increasingly globalised world, where demand for food is growing exponentially and attention to sustainability becomes crucial, food preservation is a key element in ensuring food safety and reducing waste. The cold chain, including cold rooms, refrigerated transport and temperature-controlled warehouses, is essential to keep perishable products fresh and safe, from the producer to the end consumer.
Cold rooms play a key role in the optimal preservation of food, ensuring that perishable products stay fresh for longer and minimising waste. Thanks to their ability to maintain a constant and controlled temperature, cold rooms slow down the natural spoilage of food, preventing the growth of bacteria and the degradation of nutritional quality. Furthermore, reducing food waste is a global priority.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that approximately one third of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted each year. Cold storage is an essential tool for reducing these losses, helping to maintain food quality for longer during transport, storage and distribution.
IGLU’®: efficiency and sustainability for cold rooms
In cold storage rooms, energy efficiency and thermal insulation are crucial aspects.
The floor of a cold room is often a critical point, as it represents an area where heat loss can be highest. This is where Daliform Group’s IGLU’® technology comes into play, an innovative solution that can significantly improve cold room performance.
IGLU’® is a modular system made of recycled plastic, designed to create an aerated cavity under the floor of cold rooms. This ventilated crawl space improves thermal insulation, reduces the risk of structural damage and offers a sustainable approach to construction.
During the design phase, a ‘smart’ system with mechanical ventilation or one with natural ventilation can be integrated into the apparatus, if properly dimensioned.
Advantages of the IGLU’® system for cold stores:
- Improved thermal efficiency: the air cavity created by the IGLU’® system allows for better thermal management, reducing heat transfer from the ground to the cold room. This helps maintain more stable temperatures inside the cold room, reducing the energy consumption needed to cool the space and improving the overall efficiency of the system.
- Prevention of structural damage: a dry environment underneath the cold room floor is essential to prevent moisture build-up, which can cause deterioration of the foundation and lead to phenomena such as frost heaving, where freezing of the ground causes damaging uplifts to the structure.
The IGLU’® system reduces this risk, increasing the durability of the entire infrastructure. - Ease of installation: IGLU’®’s modular, lightweight system allows quick and efficient installation, reducing construction time and costs. This flexible system easily adapts to different space configurations, offering customised solutions for every type of cold store.
- Environmental sustainability: IGLU’® modules are made of recycled plastic, helping to reduce the environmental impact of cold storage construction. Their arched design ensures maximum strength, reducing the need for additional materials and thus contributing to a more sustainable construction.
Cold stores are indispensable structures for the safe and prolonged storage of food and for reducing food waste along the cold chain. In this scenario, the IGLU’® system is an ideal solution for more efficient, sustainable and durable cold stores, making a significant contribution not only to food preservation but also to reducing the environmental impact of industrial facilities.
