Keeping food cool to save the planet

Abstract

Thermal insulation is an important topic in physics directly relevant to everyday life. Thermal insulation is used in the building and food industries. Thermal insulation is an effective way to extend the time food is kept below a critical temperature (5 °C for chilled food and −18 °C for frozen foods). An experiment was performed to simulate a power cut in a cold storage unit. Two temperature loggers were placed in plastic containers each containing 250 g of ice. The two containers were placed in a freezer and then removed to simulate a power cut. One container was left out in the open and the other placed in a cylinder of reflective bubble wrap insulation (GIBS). The ice container inside the GIBS insulation stayed cold for several hours longer. This is an experiment that could easily be performed in a school or university setting.