Overview - What ISO 22042:2021 covers
ISO 22042:2021 specifies classification, verification requirements and test conditions for blast chiller and blast freezer cabinets for professional use. It is intended for appliances used to rapidly cool hot foodstuffs (up to 300 kg load capacity) in environments such as commercial kitchens, hospitals, canteens and institutional catering. The standard sets out how to verify performance (time/temperature targets) and energy consumption under defined test conditions.
Key exclusions are: roll-in and pass-through cabinets, cabinets with remote or water-cooled condensers, blast chilling/freezing tunnels, continuous blast equipment and bakery combined freezing/storage units.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Performance targets
- Blast chiller: cool from +65 °C to +10 °C within 120 minutes.
- Blast freezer: cool from +65 °C to −18 °C within 270 minutes. (Freezers may also operate as chillers.)
- End-of-test requirement for chillers: coldest M‑pan temperature must be higher than −1 °C.
- Energy consumption
- Expressed as kWh per kg per reference temperature cycle, rounded to four decimal places.
- Test food and pans
- Test food: reconstituted mashed potatoes (per kg: 115 g instant flakes, 877 g water, 8 g salt), prepared and used once.
- Test pans: stainless steel, 40 mm nominal height, filled to 35 mm. M‑pans are instrumented pans with a probe at the geometric centre.
- Pan thickness: 0.8 mm ±0.05 mm.
- Test conditions and instrumentation
- Operational ambient temperatures specified (typical values include 25 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C).
- Instruments must be calibrated; measurement accuracies include temperature ±0.8 °C, total energy ±2 %, weight ±2 g, and time accuracy to at least ±1 s.
- Installation and loading
- Cabinets are tested as installed for normal operation; loading uses the number and arrangement of pans corresponding to declared full load capacity.
Applications - Who uses ISO 22042:2021
- Manufacturers validating performance and declaring capacity/energy figures.
- Test laboratories conducting standardized performance and energy tests.
- Procurement teams and specifiers in catering, healthcare and institutional facilities comparing equipment.
- Regulators and certification bodies assessing compliance with performance or energy labeling.
- Facility managers and consultants evaluating operating energy and throughput.
Related standards
- Developed by ISO/TC 86 in collaboration with CEN/TC 44. It complements other refrigeration and commercial appliance performance standards; consult national standards bodies or ISO for linked test and safety standards relevant to professional refrigeration.
Keywords: ISO 22042:2021, blast chiller, blast freezer, blast cabinet, test conditions, energy consumption, M‑pan, professional kitchens, performance verification.