About Gel-Ice
Product Performance Tests
Zero-Pak® gel-ice is tremendously beneficial for shipping refrigerated products such as poultry, meat, fish, flowers, pharmaceuticals and biologicals. Examples of effectiveness include tests conducted by the USDA and University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.
In the USDA tests, 2 three-pound bags of Zero-Pak® gel-ice successfully replaced 30 lbs of water ice in the refrigeration of chicken. In the specific test, 60 lbs of chicken were packed with 6 lbs of refrigerant gel. The chicken was precooled to 38°F and the refrigerant gel frozen to 0°F.
In the test conducted by the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, 10 lbs of water ice were placed at the bottom of the box and 11 lbs on top — a total of 21 lbs of water ice for 40 lbs of fish. In the second box, 2 packages (6 lbs) of frozen gel-ice were placed on the bottom of the box and two packages of gel-ice on the top — 12 lbs of gel-ice total.
| Water | Ice | Zero-Pak® gel-ice |
| After 24 hours | 42.5°F | 36.7°F |
| After 30 hours | 48.0°F | 38.7°F |
Thermo-couples were placed in the center of the fish, on top, in the middle and on the bottom of each box. Both boxes were stored at an ambient air temperature of 55° F. In both cases, the average temperature of the fish dropped from 50°F to 35°F during the 1st eight hours. Later temperatures were greatly in favor of Zero-Pak® gel-ice.
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