Dairy display case LED lighting
Delicious Dairy; How to create high quality and performance dairy display cases using LED lighting.
A creamy rich coffee, a cheese sandwich or a healthy yoghurt for lunch, the dairy aisle is often one of the most popular within a store. To control energy costs and keep the temperature within the case very cool, retailers are starting to place dairy produce behind full or half vertical doors. This practice helps the cases to run more efficiently, however it is a common perception that the addition of doors creates a barrier between the customer and the merchandise, resulting in uninspiring product displays. In response to this the lighting within the cases must be high performing, low maintenance, energy efficient and create the desired ambience to reflect the brand image of the store.
Traditional lighting can often be bulky and inefficient compared to LED solutions. Nualight LED ranges offer industry leading lumens/ watt, enabling up to 80% energy savings and a reduction in carbon emissions which will help retailers reach their energy saving targets. Nualight solutions offer an improved and comfortable shopping experience with good uniformity, low-glare and no flicker. A shopper who feels more comfortable and relaxed is more likely to be loyal to the store and receptive to various merchandising messages.
The effects of LED lighting on the taste of milk.
It has been known for decades that all light (conventional or LED) effects the flavour of milk. Light causes riboflavin within milk to oxidise, which alters the milks taste and nutritional content. The Journal of Dairy Science, published a study; Exposure of fluid milk to LED light negatively affects consumer perception and alters underlying sensory properties, it detailed that light-induced flavours in dairy products are in no way an unexpected or a novel observation (Browne, 1899)
Recent research from Cornell researchers in the Department of Food Science found exposure to LED light sources degrades the perceived quality of milk more so than the microbial content that naturally accumulates over time. The study determined tasters preferred the shielded milk over fresh milk. The key word here is shielded. ). As research into this topic continues, awareness amongst suppliers is also growing. Proactive suppliers have started to use sun-protective darker packaging, a practice widely used by beer and other drink manufacturers, to shield the milk from the light, so they can enjoy the display properties of lighting without the adverse effects.
Points to consider for a LED Dairy display:
- LED can provide you with up to 80% energy savings, helping to reduce carbon emissions and meet energy saving targets.
- When installing doors to cases, LED complements your energy saving efforts. LED can recover the perceived drop in sales expected from door refurbishments, by creating vibrant and enticing displays.
- Reduced maintenance as LEDs have a long lifetime and do not need to be changed or replaced as often as traditional light sources.
- UV free LED light ensures packaging does not fade but remains bright, clear and informative.
- As LED does not create as much heat as conventional lighting, the cooing efficiency of the entire case increases and food is less likely to spoil.
- In special regard to milk; the chemical reaction that occurs when milk is exposed to light happens faster the brighter and bluer the light is. If a retailer is concerned with taste and nutritional quality they could use a light temperature (>4000K) with the objective to highlight the colour of the milk, alternatively, they could also lower the light intensity to delay the natural reaction.