Temperature and humidity are not suitable for all types of food, due to which most households waste huge amount of food every other day. To prevent food wastage, Betty Lujan- product designer from ENSAAMA- Olivier de Serres, France has developed the Imbreco Fridge that amalgamates both traditional and modern techniques of food preservation.
It is partitioned into three sections (lower, middle and upper) to allow users to store food according to its characteristics so that its freshness remains longer than usual. The lower section is the dry zone including wicker baskets filled with sand and has small gaps, to store potatoes and root vegetables like carrots, leek turnip, etc. This is because potatoes need airy environment without light to stay fresh for long.
The middle section has refrigeration with compression system, which is the only part that requires electricity like a conventional refrigerator. This section uses NoFrost technology to store foods including fish, meat or dairy products that require low temperature. Temperature of this section can be controlled via temperature control button to maintain certain low degree as well as humidity within the section. Moreover, it has various drawers having adequate space for different food items.
Upper section is called ‘pot-in-pot’ because it is composed of two pots (a small pot within bigger one) and the gap between both the pots is filled with sand. Sand is constantly supplied with water through a water tank to maintain humidity within the pots. Pot-in-pot section allows natural cooling process by evaporation technique to maintain freshness of certain fruits and vegetables.
Overall, it is a perfect system to manage longevity and freshness of variant food items, thus preventing food wastage. Furthermore, it uses minimal electrical supply and its traditional methods are eco-friendly with no negative impact on environment. This technique will definitely build a close connection between consumers and the food they are about to consume, as they will start to learn more about storage techniques of different foods along with their characteristics.
Recently, a prototype of Imbreco Fridge was presented at James Dyson Awards’ event and was appreciated for its innovative concept. Hopefully, it will be launched commercially too for avoiding electricity as well as food wastage.
Imbreco Fridge partitioned into three sections for better food preservation
Various sections of the fridge allows food preservation differently
Lower section is to store dried vegetables like potatoes, carrots, leek, etc.
Middle section is to store foods that require lower temperature for storage
Upper section uses evaporation technique for cooling
Credit: EspritDesign
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