How to Pack a Vacuum Packed Food for a Longer Shelf Life
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Preservation of food has been a vital process even in history when the only food preservations methods were drying, use of honey, salting, etc. Over the years, many and better techniques have come up, i.e., refrigeration, to promote an even longer shelf life. Even with all these preservation methods, there was still a need for another way to extend food freshness for a longer time so that both retailers and manufacturers prevent wastage.
Vacuum sealing was the solution they found, and ever since, it has been improving to include many other benefits in both preservation and cost. Curious to find out more, let’s dive right in!
How Does Vacuum Packing Preserve Food?
Source: hamiltonbeach.com
Vacuum sealing involves the process of eliminating oxygen from a food container and sealing it tightly with no leakages. The process takes place in a vacuum chamber in a sealing machine to preserve food for a long time. Why is oxygen removed? Oxygen permits the growth of various microorganisms such as fungus, bacteria, and mold. These organisms are usually responsible for food spoilage as they accumulate and make the food taste bad.
Moreover, when ingested, they cause food poisoning that may become very serious, leading to complications. Removing oxygen prevents all these from happening as these microorganisms are aerobic and cannot survive without oxygen. Vacuum sealing is becoming very popular in the packaging industry, especially those dealing with food products.
Vacuum Packed Food, Vegetables, and Meat Shelf Life
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Some of the most prominent considerations for shelf life are vacuum packed vegetable shelf life, vacuum-sealed meat shelf life, and vacuum-packed food shelf life. Retailers, restaurants, and consumers are always keen when dealing with such products as these are the most used canned products. The table below compares normal and vacuum packaging by illustrating the shelf life of different foods at various temperatures.
| Kept in freezer | Normal packaging | Vacuum packed |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh vegetables | Eight months | 24 months |
| Fresh meat | Six months | 18 months |
| Fruits | 6 - 10 months | 18 - 30 months |
| Baked products | 6 - 12 months | 18 months |
| In a refrigerator | Normal packaging | Vacuum packaging |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh vegetables | Five days | 18 - 20 days |
| Fresh meat | Two days | Six days |
| Fresh fruits | 3 - 7 days | 8 - 20 days |
| Cooked food | Two days | Ten days |
| Room temperature | Normal packaging | Vacuum packed |
|---|---|---|
| Dried food | 10 -30 days | 30 - 90 days |
| Baked goods | 2- 3 days | 7 - 10 days |
| bread | 2- 3 days | 7 - 8 days |
| snacks | 5-10 days | 20 - 30 days |
Vacuum preservation has several benefits, including;
- The flavors in foods are preserved all through their shelf life.
- When handling the food, there is no contamination since the packaging is tightly sealed.
- Vacuum sealing prevents freeze burn.
- It saves you time as you can buy food once in bulk and store them for long periods.
- The natural moisture content of the preserved food is maintained.
- There is no discoloration of food.
Vacuum Sealing Machine for Glass Jars
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Food packaging at home doesn’t have to be challenging, especially when using a jar vacuum sealer machine. You can store food in glass jars to preserve its integrity for a while when not using them. The steps in doing so are;
- Make the jars you are using sterile. You can do this by boiling them and letting them stay in hot water until the sealing time.
- Fill the jars with the food you intend to preserve. The food should be ready when the jar is fully clean and sterile. Remember not to fill to the brim; leave some air space.
- Attach the lid on the jar firmly to ensure no content is leaking.
- Place the glass jar into boiling water and time the process. When the time elapses, remove the jars and place them in a cool place for cooling. The air inside cools and contracts hence pulls the lid down, sealing the jar.
- After cooling, check the jars if they are fully sealed. A concave shape is evident on a well sealed jar, and if there is any that didn’t seal completely, store them in a refrigerator and use them first.
Vacuum Sealing Machines for Cans
Cans are among the most popular containers used in the packaging industry. Packaging industries use can seaming machines that have vacuum chambers. They include;
- Automatic can seaming machines: they are fully automated and do not require any human intervention.
- Semi-automatic can seaming machines: they are automatic machines but require some human handling during the process.
- Contact can seaming operation: machines that do double seaming process by coming into contact with the containers.
- Non-contact sealers: this machine does not contact the can; it uses heat to seal the can.
Maximizing Freshness with Advanced Can Sealing Machines
With the progress of packaging technology, the need for more efficient and reliable sealing solutions is increasing for many manufacturers. If you need can sealing equipment for your advanced sealing, you are in the right place because Levapack has the best quality can sealing machines. An example is the Fully Auto Nitrogen Filling Vacuum Sealing Machine which vacuums the can first, lowers the oxygen levels by filling it with nitrogen gas, and then seals it to guarantee the maximum freshness and stability of the products.
Similarly, the High Volume Fully Auto Round Can Sealing Machine can work at a rate of 50 cans in a minute while guaranteeing a two-seam seal ensuring leakproof and ideal for production lines with high demand. This outstanding equipment is versatile and suitable for several products be it solid or powdered, thus assisting the company in reducing the costs they incur and increasing their production.
With Levapack’s customizable solution, you get sealing equipment that is both efficient and of great quality for any scale of operation whether small or large volume thereby enhancing your production capacity and safeguarding the freshness and safety of your products.
Please reach out to Levapack today if you want to know how our equipment would be able to take your business to the next level!
Vacuum Sealing Machines for Pouch
Source: Pinterest
A pouch is a bag usually made of paper or plastic, primarily for packaging purposes. Pouch packaging machines work through the following steps:
- Pouch collection: the pouches are collected from a conveyor and proceed to the filling station.
- Pouch filling: a lever opens the pouch, and the nozzle fills it.
- Pouch sealing: this is the step to employ the vacuum sealing process to seal the pouch for extended shelf life.
- Coding: pass the pouch to a coding machine.
Conclusion
In today’s society, people are busy working day and night with others taking up three jobs to make ends meet. It is a fast society in which everything has to be quick and straightforward. People barely have time to go shopping for groceries, and vacuum sealing is the savior amidst all this chaos. Since vacuum-packed food has a long shelf life, you only need to do shopping once in a while and buy items in bulk.
If this life describes you, you need to order your vacuum sealer now from Levapack, or better yet, buy a packaging line from us for your company as we guarantee quality services and products. Get in touch with us for more insights.
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