America’s appetite for fresh seafood is insatiable, and seafood processors are constantly expanding to accommodate the high demand. Finfish, shellfish, canary, and cooked seafood plants all have the same stringent requirements associated with safe food delivery to the public. To ensure their product arrives to market safe, processors are having to add new:
- Coolers
- Blast freezer
- Cutting and trimming rooms
- Packing rooms
What makes Seafood Different
A high level of temperature control is required within almost every sector of the food processing industry. However, seafood processors have other demands to take into consideration that differ from what others may adhere to. So, what obstacles does seafood present?
Seafood has to remain wet and is also almost always covered with ice per requirements. This is to further increase the chances that the product will remain in a healthy state. However, using ice can cause problems as it is abrasive and can tear up the panel wall systems within processing rooms. If the panel wall systems become damaged, this can lead to corrosion of insulated metal panels. Additionally, the melting of ice could lead to moisture issues within your processing plant.
With the wear and tear that comes with seafood processing, it is important to invest in insulated metal panels that are customized to handle the complexities of this form of processing. Rooms that stay wet or have frequent washdowns may benefit from a paint system that is comprised of plastisol. This results in the paint systems being thicker and having a more rubberized consistency. Another option is to chemically weld the panels to prevent moisture intrusion between panel joints.
This environment keeps the panels performing longer with less wear over the life of the room. However, in some marine seafood processing environments, it may be more sensible to go with stainless steel wall panels.
PermaTherm wants to make sure you have all of the resources you need to decide on insulated metal panels and the customizations you may need. Our experienced team is ready to walk you through the process and partner with you to make sure you’re happy with the functionality of our insulated metal panels.