Foods to Avoid Vacuum Sealing
“In a select few cases, vacuum sealing food can actually spoil food more quickly…”
The purpose of vacuum-sealing food is removing air to limit aerobic bacterial growth. This process effectively slows the food spoilage process to increase shelf life reducing food waste. But, there is a catch. Have you ever wondered why certain vegetables are kept in open or netted packaging? For example, why are onions kept in netted packaging if vacuum sealing is the most effective food preservation solution? Well, there is a reason, and you’re about to find out!
Why Can’t You Vacuum Seal All Food?
Chamber vacuum sealers or vacuum suction sealers are the ultimate food preservation strategy to keep foods fresh and prevent freezer burn. So why are some vegetables stored in breathable packaging in the produce section of the grocery store and others are not?
The fact of the matter is that not all foods are suitable to be vacuum sealed. In a select few cases, vacuum sealing can actually spoil food more quickly than if it were not packaged at all. Reasons generally fall under three main categories:
Natural Gas Emission: Some vegetables contain specific enzymes that cause the release of natural gases that would normally be released into the atmosphere. This process naturally occurs to ripen the vegetables. But if these gases are contained in vacuum sealed bags, the vegetables will spoil much faster than if left out in the open.
Foodborne Illness: While vacuum sealing is effective in slowing aerobic bacteria growth, there are actually bacteria that multiply in low-oxygen environments called anaerobic bacteria. For example, clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria where if the spore is present on the food in vacuum sealed bags, it will multiply and release a toxin that could cause a dangerous illness called botulism.
Excess Moisture: Softer produce could become mushy if vacuum sealed when fresh. The humid atmosphere could also promote the growth of anaerobic bacteria causing premature food spoilage and possible foodborne illness.
Avoid Vacuum Sealing These Foods
Without further ado, here is a list of foods that you should avoid vacuum sealing and why according to the categories. Additionally, we will provide alternative solutions if applicable.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are a specific group of vegetables that are actually an informal classification of the mustard family! This is a broad category that includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, radishes, arugula, bok choy, and turnips.
These vegetables emit natural gases and vacuum sealing them raw would contain these gases causing premature spoilage.
Blanching as an Alternative Solution: Fortunately, blanching is a solution so your vegetables do not miss the train to a longer shelf life. Blanching is the process of scalding vegetables by boiling or steaming them. The purpose is to halt the enzyme action that causes the release of natural gases solving the problem of quick spoilage, and retaining texture and nutrients.
Steps for Blanching Before Vacuum Sealing
1. Rinse produce, then cut if desired.
2. Fill a pan with enough water for either steaming or boiling and bring to a boil.
3. Add produce and boil/steam for 1-4 minutes.
4. IMMEDIATELY transfer produce to ice-cold water to halt the cooking process.
5. Divide the vegetables into vacuum bags.
6. Vacuum seal and freeze for freshness.
Raw Onions and Raw Garlic
Onions and garlic are similar to cruciferous vegetables where gases are released that would cause quick spoilage in vacuum seal bags. But there is another layer to it… the low oxygen content could additionally cause the growth of botulinum risking botulism. Therefore, it is best to avoid vacuum sealing these foods.
Raw Mushrooms
Due to their natural humidity, vacuum sealing raw mushrooms could cause the growth of bacteria and early spoilage.
Fresh Berries
Berries contain excess moisture that would cause them to get mushy if they are vacuum-sealed fresh.
Flash-Freezing as an Alternative: Fresh berries are delicate foods that require flash-freezing if you want to apply a satisfactory vacuum cycle without them becoming mush. Flash freezing is simply freezing most efficiently to retain fresh flavor, texture, and nutrients at the peak of ripeness.
Steps for Flash-Freezing Before Vacuum Sealing
1. Clean the berries.
2. Remove undesirable sections.
3. Place berries in an even, thin layer onto a sheet pan.
4. Thoroughly freeze.
5. Separate berries into desired portions in vacuum bags.
6. Vacuum seal.
7. Put back in the freezer before the fruit thaws and you’re all set!
Fresh Bananas
Bananas will become overripe more quickly in a vacuum sealed bag as ethylene is released during the ripening process. Unless you are saving bananas for baking, this is not ideal. We would recommend flash freezing unwrapped bananas before vacuum sealing so that ethylene does not fill the bag.
Soft Cheeses
Soft cheeses are extremely moist meaning they could either crush during the vacuum cycle or mold much faster when vacuum sealed as the moisture is not able to escape.
Hot Foods
Vacuum sealed hot food would not be beneficial because the heat could cause the material to hit a melting point. Additionally, producing an environment with high moisture content would leave the food at risk of bacterial growth and early spoilage. So a simple rule of thumb is before you vacuum-seal food, make sure it is at room temperature or cooler.
Food Safety Guidelines to Avoid Bacterial Growth When Vacuum Sealing
Statistics show that contamination is more common in homemade foods. Simply put, your home vacuum sealer could be of little use if your vacuum-sealed foods are already contaminated within the vacuum bag. The good news is that contamination is easily avoidable if the information above is utilized and hygiene is your top priority during the vacuum sealing process.
Food Safety Guidelines for Vacuum Sealing
– Wash your hands thoroughly before vacuum-sealing food.
– Use clean tools.
– Sanitize tools if used with raw meat.
– Sanitize countertops and surfaces before working.
– Keep frozen foods, frozen, and refrigerated food, refrigerated.
Additional Information
The list of foods we have gone through today is minuscule compared to the foods that could benefit from this legendary packaging strategy. Keeping food fresh for longer is just the beginning of the advantages of vacuum sealing. So make sure to check out our video to see how each vacuum sealer style differs in effectiveness to prevent freezer burn!
If you have further questions about vacuum packaging, please do not hesitate to call or email us anytime! We look forward to hearing from you.
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