Vacuum Sealer Information

How do vacuum sealers make food last longer?

1. The reduced oxygen content in the vacuum package slows food breakdown. Most oxygen can be removed by creating a vacuum within the package.

2. Vacuum bags are made from poly woven materials to keep oxygen from permeating the package. Standard poly bags will not hold a vacuum.

3. After oxygen is removed from the package, an airtight seal is made. The seal is essential to ensure the vacuum packaged product has an increased product shelf life.

Vacuum Sealers and Modified Atmosphere Packaging

After a vacuum sealer completes the seal of a packaged product, the product is enclosed in modified atmospheric packaging. The atmosphere within the package is modified from the external atmosphere. This modification can be done in many different ways to help preserve consumable and non-consumable products.

A standard vacuum sealer that removes air from a vacuum bag is reducing the oxygen content within the package. This reduction in oxygen is a form of modified atmosphere packaging. Some vacuum sealers offer a gas flush option to further change the atmosphere within the container. The gas purge inserts a gas into the package to help with extending the product's shelf life.

Nitrogen is a standard gas used in gas flushing. It makes up 78% of the air we breathe. A set amount of nitrogen is flushed into a vacuum bag to push out oxygen and leave nitrogen within the package. The final package contains 99.9% of nitrogen surrounding the products. This atmospheric change can increase product shelf life and reduce food spoilage.   

Vacuum Sealers 

A vacuum sealer is a machine designed to remove oxygen from a package. After the air is removed, heat is used to seal off the package. Vacuum sealers can come in a variety of different forms and offer many features. Most offer the basic function of removing oxygen and sealing open packages. The right vacuum sealer will enable the desired efficiency and packaging settings to meet the needs of each specific goal. The products being wrapped will help determine which machine is needed.

Nozzle sealers are the most popular vacuum sealers. Most home use vacuum sealers have a nozzle that is inserted into the bag to remove air. Other machines, including thermoforming, skin packaging, and chamber sealers, are also used to attain a full vacuum. Each type of machine has advantages over the other. 

Vacuum Sealers with Gas Purge

Vacuum sealers with gas purge enable users to introduce a gas mixture into the vacuum bag. The gas mixture is often an inert gas, such as nitrogen. Gas purge is commonly found in food packaging applications. The sealer removes oxygen from the package in inserts nitrogen to prolong the shelf life of the product being packaged. Depending on the product being packaged and the proper modified atmosphere within the container, shelf life can be prolonged 2 to 10 times longer.

All vacuum sealers with gas purge offer the same qualities as vacuum sealers with external compressors. A sturdy and robust sealing bar enables the sealing of vacuum bags up to an eight mil thickness. The main difference between the two sealers is the vacuum sealer with gas purge is hooked up to two external tanks. One tank is the air compressor with at least a 15-gallon tank, and the other is a bottle of inert gas, which is commonly nitrogen. Nitrogen bottles can be found at any local welding supply store.

Self Contained Vacuum Sealers

Self contained vacuum sealers come with built-in compressors for removing air and a gas flush option. The advantage of the self-contained vacuum sealers is an all-in-one unit to save space. Home use vacuum sealers are self-contained machines that do not require additional equipment for set up. The simplicity and ability to save space have many advantages over devices with external compressors.

Some contained vacuum sealers can be loud. Be sure the noise of the machine when in use will not disturb people in the area of operation. The sound and the internal compressor inside the sealer can be two significant drawbacks. If the compressor begins to go out, it can be costly to fix. Machines with external compressors can quickly be replaced if problems arise.

Chamber Vacuum Sealers  

Chamber vacuum sealers are the perfect option for vacuum packaging liquids or products with liquids. Bags are placed inside the chamber, and a vacuum is created within the chamber. The vacuum pushes air out of the bag without spilling liquids. Once the desired vacuum is reached, the sealer lowers to make a seal. Multiple packages can also be sealed at once with a chamber sealer.

If you have any questions about the vacuum sealers we offer, feel free to call us at 1-800-441-5090, click on the live chat button, or visit our vacuum packing 101 page. Our sales staff would be happy to assist you.