Cold Rooms for Dairy — Milk, Cheese, Butter, Ice Cream
India's dairy sector handles 230+ million tonnes/year and loses an estimated 8–10% to cold chain gaps. HyperCold builds FSSAI-Schedule-4 compliant dairy cold rooms — from village BMC chillers to integrated processing plants — with SS304 food-grade panels, plate heat exchangers, and 24×7 monitored climate control.
Milk 2–4°C • Cheese 2–8°C • Butter -18°C • Ice Cream -25°C
85–95% RH
Pasteurised milk 7 days • Cheese 1–12 months • Butter 12 months • Ice cream 12 months
Common Use Cases
- Bulk Milk Cooler (BMC) rooms 1000–5000 L
- Pasteurised milk holding tanks 4°C
- Cheese aging caves 2–14°C, 90–95% RH
- Butter freezer storage -18 to -23°C
- Ice cream hardening tunnel -30°C
- Yogurt incubation + cold storage
- Dairy ingredient (SMP, WMP) ambient + cold rooms
Engineering Details
Why SS304 panels for dairy
FSSAI Regulation 2.1.1 mandates food-contact surfaces be non-corrosive, non-toxic, and non-absorbent. SS304 panels meet this directly, withstand daily CIP (clean-in-place) wash at 70°C with alkaline detergent, and survive 15+ years without surface degradation. PPGL panels fail CIP cycling in 4–6 years for direct dairy contact.
Refrigeration system
Up to 500 L/hr milk chilling: Freon R-404A / R-32 DX scroll, plate heat exchanger to chill milk in single pass from 35°C to 4°C. Above 5000 L/hr: ammonia (R-717) ice-bank chiller for peak-load shaving — milk passes through chilled-water plate HX at ice-bank temperature. Large processing plants run NH₃ central plant feeding glycol to multiple process points.
Cheese aging caves
Different cheese varieties demand different temperature & humidity: hard cheeses (cheddar, gouda) 8–13°C, 80–85% RH; soft cheeses (brie, camembert) 10–14°C, 90–95% RH; blue cheeses 8–10°C, 90–95% RH with active mould management. Each cave needs independent control with ultrasonic humidification (not water spray — leaves mineral residue).
Ice cream cold chain
Hardening tunnel: -30 to -40°C blast for 4–6 hours to set ice cream core. Storage at -25 to -30°C. Transport at -25°C minimum (Indian tropical climate makes this challenging — high-spec reefer trucks required). Display freezer at -18°C with auto-defrost — never let ice cream warm above -15°C between manufacturing and consumer.
Capacity Range
From 200 L BMC chiller rooms (~₹3.5 lakh) to 100+ MT integrated dairy cold storage (₹1.5+ crore).
FAQs
What FSSAI compliance is required for dairy cold rooms?
FSSAI Schedule 4 (refrigerated transport & storage) — calibrated temperature logger with 12-month archive, NABL-traceable sensor calibration annually, validated CIP procedure, and pest control records.
Can I store milk and cheese in the same room?
Not recommended — milk at 4°C is too cold for most cheese aging, and cheese microbial activity can contaminate milk surfaces. Use separate chambers.