Ice for your grocery store from ZIEGRA

What ice should be used for your goods displays?

The selection of the correct type of ice is of vital importance in the presentation of fresh goods such as fish and sea food.

It depends on the goods:  

The ice makes sure:

• that the correct background is created - a soft, lightly-structured layer of ice emphasise the colours and the form of the filet, whole fishes or shell fish.
• that it is possible to angle the goods towards the customer and make a model on the presentation area
• that the fish is received fresh, i.e. cold, moist and undamaged

The ice therefore must have a range of characteristics:

• the individual pieces should have an appealing colour and form 
• it should be suitable for modelling the display, i.e. it should not slip
• it should emit sufficient moisture, to keep the fish fresh and to rinse off secretion
• it must not be too cold, so that it does not freeze onto the fish and the fish itself is not frozen
• it must be soft and not have sharp edges so that the filets are not damaged
• it should keep for a long time, i.e. the pieces must be large and thick enough to ensure that they do not have to be refrozen regularly
• it should remain loose and not freeze together, so that the appearance remains for a long time, and damage to the fish is avoided when removing it from the ice.

Do not forget: you have to create a new ice bed each morning. That means: the main amount of ice must be available in the morning; it is therefore produced overnight and stored in a bin. It is therefore particularly important, that the ice does not freeze together in storage.

Both chip ice and flake ice are regularly used for goods displays in supermarkets. Chip ice, however, has more of the required characteristics: with its temperature of -0.5°C and the different possible grains it combines storability, softness, mouldability and long durability. In addition the appearance of chip ice is excellent for product presentations.

Required amount of ice

In the first stage you should calculate the amount of ice that you need for your display. Here the surface of the display and the desired height of the ice are decisive (normally: 10-15 cm). To the right you will find a calculator which will help you determine the correct ice machine for your ice requirements.  

The total of the calculator gives you the choice between ice production on 1 or 2 machines (standard or double) as well as, where possible, a choice between the 20° and 35°C version (explanation).

It takes into account the fact that the ice is recreated every day and a certain amount is needed for re-freezing and for the fish storage overnight.

Storage and ice transportation  

In the morning a large amount of ice has to be available for the ice bed of the display. In order to achieve this, the machine should produce ice at day and night, which has to be stored in a suitable bin (or ice cart).  
 

In order to guarantee the quality of the ice after longer storage, the storage capabilities should be observed.

Due to the ideal temperature of -0.5° C, chip ice can also be stored for a longer period of time without freezing together. Scale ice on the other hand, freezes together over a long period of time. As a result a larger machine is required, which produces the same amount of ice in the shortest possible time.

Every morning the ice has to get to the display. The more ice is needed, the more attention should be paid to ice transportation. Contact us, we will be happy to advise you.  

Important points for the selection of the correct storage and transportation solution are:

•     How much ice is needed?
•     Under what conditions is the ice stored (refrigerator room)?
•     How far is the distance from the place of storage to the display?
•     How much space is available?
•     What are the investment costs compared to the handling costs? 

Heat emission and cooling  

Ice machines produce heat, which is emitted via the condenser.

The following options can be considered for this:

•     Compact air-cooling: Requires room ventilation
•     Remote air-cooling: Separate condenser, positioned for example on the roof
•     Compact water-cooling: for connection to a cold-water system
•     Ice maker: for connection to existing cooling units  

Positioning of the ice machine

The following points have to be clarified before making a decision on the positioning:

•     The area surrounding the display
•     Desired storage and handling system
•     Ventilation
•     Space limitations
•     Accessibility for installation and service, including cleaning

Avoid installing your ice machine in a refrigerator room, as it emits heat which warms the room. This also applied to the ice maker with a separate condenser. In a refrigerator room, even one with a temperature above 0°C, the room condenser emits cooled-air below 0°C. If this air comes into contact with the ice machine or the ice output then the ice machine can freeze, which can cause production losses and defects to the machine.

The costs

The total annual costs for the ice in your ice display comprise the following items:

• Capital costs for the ice machine / investment (approx. 25%)
• Operating costs, e.g. electricity and water (approx. 30%)
• Operating costs, e.g. for shovelling, transportation and distributing the ice around the display (approx. 40%)
• Maintenance costs (approx. 5%)

The potential for cost reductions on the operating costs, with a share of 40% of the annual overall costs, is particularly high. With suitable ice distribution systems you could even save up to 50 or even 75%. Due to the working time this would save with the ice bed, your employees would be able to concentrate fully on the design of the goods presentation.  
 

Capacity and operating temperatures

The production capacity of an ice machine depends heavily on the surrounding and water temperatures.

Each machine has a nominal output for certain, stated temperatures. Consequently the output is sometimes stated at a surrounding and water temperature of 10° C, sometimes at 20°C / 15°C or even at 35°C / 25°C. 

The higher the nominal temperatures of the ice machine, the more powerful it is.  

Compared to the nominal temperatures, the ice output is reduced by approx.:

• 1% for each additional 1°C in the surrounding temperature
• 1.5% for each additional 1°C in the water temperature 

Example:

An ice machine with 1,000 kg/24h produces the following amount at a surrounding temperature of 35°C and a water temperature of 25°C:

    1.000 kg,      if the nominal output is stated at 35° surrounding / 25° water 
    700-800 kg,  if the nominal output is stated at 20° surrounding / 15° water 
    500-600 kg,  if the nominal output is stated at 10° surrounding / 10° water

In addition to this the ice quality reduces considerably above the nominal temperatures. The ice becomes watery, slushy and melts very quickly.  

When selecting your ice machine make sure that the nominal temperatures of the surrounding temperatures correspond to those in the warmest period of the year. This is because at this time your requirement of good quality ice is at its greatest.  
 
Hygiene

The hygienic quality of the ice should correspond to the water used. Increasing bacteriological checks by vets guarantee the hygienic standard in the supermarket industry.

Our ice machines are suitable for this.  

The following rules have to be observed by the user:

• Select an ice machine with a hygienic design, including the accessories
• Clean the ice machine and the bin regularly (make sure that the machine and the bin are easily accessible)
• Follow the manufacturer's recommendations and let experts carry out cleaning and maintenance at regular intervals.

Replacing the ice

For hygienic and optical reasons, the ice should be exchanged daily. The evening is the best time for this, so that a fresh bed of ice is available the following morning.

Here are a few recommendations on removing ice from the display:

• Let the ice melt overnight, and remove the remains in the morning. It's obvious, but the display must be cleaned in the morning
• Select a display with a warm water cleaning system; low maintenance costs but energy costs
• Manual removal (optional: in a heated container); the display has to be cleaned immediately, but it is the process which requires the most time