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Tom Troxel , a UA emeritus professor was one of the Arkansas researchers ; associate department head of the university ’ s animal science department at the time . He recommended checking the temperature at various times of the day . After you know the temperature range is correct , he suggested checking it at least once every week , especially if you ’ re storing lots of product .
The University of Idaho ’ s Cattle Vaccine Handling and Management Guidelines suggests placing maximum / minimum thermometers in refrigerators and recording the temperature at least weekly .
If you find that products have been stored at temperatures outside of the recommended range , Troxel said , “ When in doubt , it ’ s probably wise to replace the product .”
And , no product can be expected to work if it ’ s expired . At one operation , UA researchers found 28 of 31 animal health products in a producer ’ s refrigerator to be expired . Across the UA study , of the 5,016 animal health products stored in the test refrigerators , 4 % were expired and 10 % were opened .
Refrigerator Checklist
Troxel authored the UA factsheet , BQA : Storing Vaccines Properly . In it , he offers advice on helping refrigerators accomplish their task .
Location — Ambient temperature affects refrigerator performance . “ Do not position them in direct contact with hot appliances , as this will make the compressor work harder ,” Troxel said .
Gasket — That seal around the inside of the door should last a lifetime with proper care . Troxel suggested keeping it clean with soapy water and using the paper test .
“ You should not be able to slide a piece of paper between the rubber seal and the wall of the refrigerator ,” Troxel explained . “ If the piece of paper slips between the seal and the wall , the seal is not tight enough and the gasket requires replacement .” Maintenance — Keep the refrigerator coils and drip pan clean . “ Dusty coils have to work harder to cool down the interior and contents of the refrigerator ,” Troxel explained . “ In automatic defrost models , the water from the defrost process flows out a drain in the floor of the refrigerator and into a pan where it sits until evaporated . Food particles can be carried along and clog the drain or be left behind to rot .” He also recommended defrosting manual-defrost freezers , never allowing frost to build up more than 0.25 in .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : Wes Ishmael has been involved with livestock publications since 1983 . Wes grew up in Colorado and has always been in and around the livestock business . He now lives in Benbrook , Texas .
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