An extensive analysis of the utilisation of phase change materials in food storage process

Han, Lucong; Zhang, Shuai; Wright, Edward; Zheng, Xiaofeng; Yan, Yuying

Abstract

With improving living standards, the demand for high-quality food is escalating. Conventional food storage methods often entail issues such as limitations in sustaining food quality and related energy wastage. The utilisation of PCMs in the food storage sector offers a means to achieve energy conservation whilst preserving food quality due to the inherent benefits of PCMs. This article presents a literature review on the application of PCMs in food storage, primarily focusing on drying and refrigeration techniques. The first part of this study summarises the utilisation of PCMs in food storage industry, conducting data analysis to uncover their developmental trends. The utilisation of PCMs in the domains of drying and cooling holds the capability to effectively diminish temperature fluctuations by (7.5/8 °C), enhance storage efficiency by (43.42/11.5 %), curtail energy consumption by (33/39 %), and uphold the physical, chemical, and nutritional content of food. Paraffin wax stands out as the prevalent PCM, and the phase change temperature predominantly falls within the range of 40–60 °C (46.57 %). Furthermore, there exists a research gap in the combined utilisation of different PCMs and the deployment of single/multi-function PCM refrigeration systems. This article offers insights into future research directions concerning PCM applications in the realm of food storage.

Citation

Han, L., Zhang, S., Wright, E., Zheng, X., & Yan, Y. (2025). An extensive analysis of the utilisation of phase change materials in food storage process. Journal of Energy Storage, 111, Article 115391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2025.115391

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Jan 8, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jan 13, 2025
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2025
• Deposit Date: Feb 6, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 6, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Energy Storage
• Electronic ISSN: 2352-152X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 111
• Article Number: 115391
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2025.115391
• Keywords: Phase change materials; Thermal energy storage; Food storage; Energy efficiency; Food quality
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/45040741
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352152X25001045