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Refrigerated Delicatessen Cheeses in Retail Display Cases

Cheese is created and aged in cool, dry, and dark conditions, carefully protected from light. Under display conditions in delicatessens, cheese becomes faded, dehydrated, and can develop off-flavors.

Dehydration of Refrigerated Deli Cheese Displays

Cheese is created and aged in cool, dry, and dark conditions, carefully protected from light. When displayed under delicatessen display lighting, blocks of cheese and presliced cheese can quickly become dehydrated, even when the deli case is equipped with a humidifier and the cheese is wrapped in transparent films.

UV and visible spectrum radiation from deli display case lighting penetrates through refrigerated temperatures and clear wrappings to raise the surface temperature of displayed cheese, causing the cheese to dry out.

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Spoilage and Discoloration of Refrigerated Deli Cheese Displays

UV and visible spectrum radiation from deli display case lighting penetrates through refrigerated temperatures and clear wrappings to raise the surface temperature of displayed cheese, increasing the risk of lipid oxidation which causes milkfats to turn rancid. When light absorbing ingredients such as pepper, herbs, and vegetables are added to cheese, this oxidation process is accelerated.

Cheeses that contain food dyes such as cheddars can become faded under deli display lighting, while white cheeses such as feta turn yellowish when exposed to light and can develop off-flavors when the milkfat oxidizes.

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Promolux True Color Definition Lamps

Promolux Safe Spectrum lamps emit lower levels of heat and ultraviolet radiation than regular fluorescent lamps, thus reducing the rate of these chemical reactions in cheese. Compared to other fluorescent lighting, Promolux lamps emit 86% lower UV B radiation, a shorter wavelength that penetrates and causes heating, and 52% lower UV A radiation, a longer wavelength that tends to affect surfaces.

Because Promolux lamps are designed for true color definition, they have a more balanced visible spectrum than other fluorescent lamps. The yellow and green wavelengths that are predominant in regular fluorescent lighting are the most damaging wavelengths in the visible spectrum. Promolux lamps emit a more balanced range of wavelengths, including more of the red and blue wavelengths and more moderate levels of the yellow and green wavelengths. It is impossible to create a natural light that does not have any yellow or green wavelengths, so light sources will always be damaging to some extent.

However, since Promolux lamps minimize the emission of damaging visible spectrum and UV wavelengths, using Promolux lamps will reduce shrinkage compared to the shrinkage caused by standard cheese display case lights. These savings will vary depending upon the duration of light exposure, which can vary from day to day and from hour to hour; the type of packaging; the fat content of the cheese; and how the cheese has been processed.