ARY VacMaster SVP-20, Operator'S Manual

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GETTING STARTED WITH VACUUM PACKAGING
If you are part of the food processing or food service industry, there is a good chance
that you already know the advantages that vacuum packaging has to offer for your
business. It has been used with success for many years as a safe and cost effective
method for extending the shelf life and maintaining the quality of a multitude of food
products. If vacuum packaging is new to your home or business, you will soon wonder
how you lived without it!
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there are certain basic guidelines that should
always be followed in order to keep foods safe to eat. Neglecting these basic guidelines
can result in food spoilage and in some cases, illnesses.
As in other methods used for food preservation such as freezing, refrigeration, and
canning, once you familiarize yourself with the safety procedures, you will feel at ease
using the Vacmaster and enjoy a higher quality of stored foods.
•
Package only fresh foods. Do not package old or rancid foods. An already bad
product does not improve with vacuum packaging.
•
Fresh foods (meats, vegetables, cheese, etc.) should be refrigerated (34 degrees F
or below) or frozen after vacuum packaging. Vacuum packaging removes a high
percentage of the air (which is 21% oxygen). This slows the growth of most
living microorganisms which degrade food such as aerobic bacteria and molds.
However, some forms of bacteria such as clostridium botulinum (responsible for
botulism) are anaerobic and grow perfectly well in the absence of oxygen.
Therefore, maintain a clean working area to lower the chance of packaging
bacteria with your foods. You can enjoy short-term refrigerated storage (several
days to several weeks, depending on the product) with vacuum packaged non- or
low acid foods. For longer storage, to avoid botulism, freeze non- or low acid
vacuum packaged foods (meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, mushrooms) and
consume immediately after heating.
•
The colder that foods are stored, the longer the shelf life.
•
Vacuum packaging bags should only be stored in their original box or container.
Small holes can develop in bags that are mistreated and render them useless. For
vacuum packaging.
•
Only use bags that are designed for vacuum packaging.
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