Can You Use Dry Ice To Ship Seafood?
You may be shipping a fishing trip prize or sending commercial quantities of seafood. Regardless, your goal is the same and equally challenging: keeping your seafood shipment fresh during the shipping process. There are several methods for doing this. However, the most common procedures involve dry ice and gel packs. This blog compares the two and provides a few tips on using dry ice to help you ship seafood.
Which Coolant Is Best For You?
When shipping seafood, dry ice, and gel packs are both viable options with pros and cons. Dry ice is excellent for maintaining the frozen state of seafood during shipping over short distances, as it can lower the temperature below freezing. Gel packs, on the other hand, are ideal for live shellfish, as they can keep them alive without melting. Both can be combined to stabilize the dry ice and slow the sublimation process, extending the product’s shelf-life while in transit. This is particularly useful for longer transit times when frozen seafood can thaw before reaching its destination.
The Proper Coolant & Product Ratios
Using enough coolant to keep your products fresh is important, as all coolants will eventually become less effective. For instance, dry ice gradually turns from solid to gas through sublimation, while gel packs turn into liquid within their bags. If you’re shipping seafood with dry ice, use between five to 10 pounds per 15 quarts within 24 hours. Similarly, you’ll need approximately one pound of gel packs per cubic foot for 24 hours to keep your products fresh.
Separating Dry Ice And Products
When shipping products, it is vital to keep them fresh. Coolants are commonly used for this purpose but can cause damage if they come into contact with the products, especially when dry ice is used. Dry ice can create extremely low temperatures that may alter the taste and texture of seafood products. To prevent this, it is recommended to seal the products, ideally using vacuum sealing.
Dry Ice For All Your Needs
Dry Ice Corp is the largest regional supplier of dry ice and related products in the Northeastern United States. Our ice is fresh and delivered right to your doorstep. We are happy to help you determine the best way to ship your goods, whether you have a huge amount of cookies or a single pie, and help you select the perfect amount of dry ice for the job. Give us a call at (201) 767-3200 or contact us online for a quote. To connect with us online, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
