Frequently Asked Questions
Vacuum Food Sealer Frequently Asked Questions t
What is the Science behind Vacuum Packing & Sealing?
Food starts to go off or spoil from the time that it is harvested or slaughtered. Bad flavours, odours and breakdown in texture demonstrate when food is no longer fit to eat. In order to slow down the process of deterioration and to keep food fresh for longer, a wide range of preservation methods can be applied, including:
- Temperature Control - the use of low/high temperature such as refrigeration, freezing, sterilisation, pasteurisation etc.
- Moisture Control - dehydration
- Use of Chemicals - salt, sugar and various acids
- Physical Methods - modified atmosphere packaging, vacuum packing & food irradiation.
One method of food preservation, vacuum packing, has become increasingly popular as a method of extending the preservation of food products without adversely affecting quality. The Food Manufacturing and Processing Industry has been using vacuum packing for many years.
The vacuum packing of food works by removing air and thereby eliminating the affects of oxidation. Oxidation is the process whereby oxygen creates a chemical reaction that adversely affects freshness, nutritional value, flavour, texture and overall food quality. Basically air is an enemy of food freshness. The oxygen and moisture in air causes food to degrade over time. Vacuum packing and sealing cannot reverse the decline or improve the micro biological quality of food but it can radically slow down spoilage and deterioration by helping to control mould, fungi and bacterial growth.
Unlike conventional food storage methods such as plastic wrap and plastic containers which actually trap air in, vacuum sealing removes air and seals it out. The life of vacuum packed foods can therefore stay fresher for up to three to five times longer than conventional storage methods when stored in the fridge or larder, and prevent freezer burn on cold frozen produce.
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Can you Help me with Some Suggestions as to what to Vacuum Seal?ss
There are many different types of food that can be stored in a vacuum. Here are some suggestions:
1. In the Fridge at 3-5°C. ref
§ Apricots - These velvety fruits are delicious and very rich in vitamins and minerals (calcium, chlorine, iron, sodium, potassium and sulphur). In order to exploit their characteristics as long as possible, the vacuum sealing technique is the right method of conservation: clean them with a cloth (without using water since it could endanger their preservation) and use a vacuum container in order to avoid any bruises.
§ Citrus Fruits - When preserved in ambient temperatures citrus fruits are soon affected by mould. Vacuum sealing will preserve them for a longer period avoiding this inconvenience. Accordingly to the skin thickness they can be put either in vacuum bags or in rigid containers.
§ Butter - Since butter is a fat substance, it is subjected to an oxidation process which makes it go rancid. In this case too vacuum sealing can solve any problem concerning conservation.
§ Pork chop, steak - In order to avoid bones piercing the bags, it is necessary to eliminate or blunt sharp parts. The best thing to do is to wrap them in an aluminium foil first.
§ Minced meat, boneless pulp – Divide meat into portions and wrap it in a food cloth then vacuum seal: the high nutritional values (rich in proteins) will last longer.
§ Cherries, plums and grapes – These fruits are particularly rich in vitamins, mineral salt and sugar that can last longer if kept vacuum sealed. To avoid crushing these fruits the must be kept in vacuum containers.
§ Tender or Parmesan cheese - When vacuum sealed tender and Parmesan cheese doesn’t become ruined by mould or dryness. In the case of soft cheese use vacuum containers only.
§ Fresh mushrooms - Clean them with a paper towel without water and keep them in vacuum containers.
§ Apples - Must be cleaned without water and kept in vacuum containers so they don’t loose vitamins.
§ Pasta, fresh ravioli - Can be kept in vacuum containers.
§ Fish - Before vacuum sealing fish, wrap it in aluminium foil. Stored in a vacuum bag fish will last longer without smelling bad.
§ Peaches – When kept in a vacuum peaches will always be juicy as just harvested and not loose any vitamins. Peaches should be cleaned without water and kept in rigid containers.
§ Delicatessen, salami - Vacuum storing will prevent oxidation and keep fresh.
§ Vegetables, herbs - Clean all vegetables and herbs without water and keep them stored preferably in a vacuum container.
2. In the Freezer at -18° C. fr
§ Minced meat - Minced meat can be conserved after preparing meatballs. A useful advice: it is better to choose an oval container and separate each layer with aluminium paper. Once prepared and frozen meatballs can be taken out of the freezer and cooked immediately without defrosting: they can be browned or fried, without wasting time.
§ Liver, heart, kidney, sweetbreads – For these items the preparation before vacuum is very important. Wash and dry them carefully and put them in a rigid container so that freezing will be uniform and preservation period will be longer.
§ Pasta, ravioli - After preparation, put the pasta in the refrigerator for half an hour so that it gets harder. Then, it is possible to vacuum seal them in the most practical way.
§ Dough for pizzas, fancy cakes - Put the dough in the container before leavening begins. Yeast activity will start once the bag or the container is opened.
§ Chicken breast, turkey breast, cutlets – beat one egg or more in a terrine with a pinch of salt and pepper. Dip your breast or cutlet in flour or in bread crumbs and press well. Put the meat aside for about half an hour and then vacuum seal it. Separate each layer with an aluminium paper. Meat can be cooked without defrosting.
§ Poultry, game, rabbit - Once plucked and cut them in pieces and vacuum seal with the giblets kept separate. Since poultry, game and rabbit can be cooked without defrosting put them directly in the saucepan.
3. In the Larder at 18° C. lar
§ Hard biscuits - Vacuum sealing keeps the fragrance of biscuits unaltered and avoids oily essences going rancid.
§ Coffee beans or round coffee - The vacuum seal permits the freshness of aroma and prevents the rancidity of essential oils.
§ Dried fruits, nuts, hazelnut, pine-seeds, etc... This produce contains a large quantity of oil, thus a vacuum prevents oxidation and rancidity.
§ Dry mushrooms - A vacuum keeps dry mushrooms longer while maintaining their aromatic properties.
§ Grated bread - Vacuum seal grated bread preferably in a vacuum container it keeps its fragrance longer.
§ Rice, cereals - A vacuum keeps the starch structure of rice and cereals and to prevent parasitic attack.
§ Dry seeds - in a vacuum condition the kernel of dry seeds are better preserved.
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Are there any Food Safety Issues Relating to Vacuum Sealing?
Vacuum sealing has become an increasingly popular method of extending food life without adversely affecting food quality. However, certain common sense food safety principles do apply. For example:
- It is always advisable that poor quality foods should never be vacuum sealed in attempt to extend shelf life, nor should vacuum sealing be used solely as a means of perpetual conservation of leftover foods.
- Vacuum sealing is never a substitute for chilling or freezing. The removal of air will stop the growth of mould and restrict the growth of yeast only in combination with normal refrigeration or freezing. Bacterial growth in a vacuum will be significantly reduced at chill temperatures of 3.3 - 5° C. and will be prohibited at freeze temperatures of <-17° C.
There is one main food safety issue that although extremely rare needs to be recognised, notably Clostridium Botulinum, the organism that causes Botulism. Clostridium Botulinum is bacteria that prefers to grow in an anaerobic condition (i.e. in the absence of air), and can multiply and produce toxin at chill temperatures as low as 3.3° C. It is therefore relevant to vacuum sealing of certain higher risk foods such as hot smoked fish, some pasta dishes and hard cheeses. To ensure that there is never any chance of food poisoning it is better to pre-chill these items before creating a vacuum environment where Clostridium Botulinum can grow.
Listeria monocytogenes is also a concern for foods with meats and fish with a preservation life of less than 10 days such as pate which should never be opened and re-packed in a vacuum environment for more than five days.
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Why does some Vacuum Sealed Produce look as if it is no Longer in a Vacuum?
There are some foods which for their own unique reasons give off gases when stored e.g. tomatoes, garlic and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts. It is best to part-freeze tomatoes before vacuum sealing and pre-chill garlic, simply because the gases will not expand when frozen or chilled. Cruciferous vegetables should only be vacuum sealed after blanching, cooling and drying.
Mushrooms need special attention to their preservation. Before attempting to vacuum seal mushrooms they should either be marinated in a sauce or fully frozen.
You may also find that burgers and sausages release air from within their mince meat after vacuum sealing. The bag will look ballooned shape. It is not that air has entered the bag, it is trapped air already contained within the produce that cannot be extracted by a vacuum pump in the first place!
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Can You Explain How a Domestic Vacuum Sealer Works?
All our vacuum sealers, with the exception of the Vacu-Seal™ Handheld Device, are technically described as “external suction" vacuum sealers, i.e. the air is drawn out of the vacuum bag by suction from under the lid of the machine.
 
These appliances are simple to operate as follows:
- The item is placed inside of one of our special embossed vacuum bags and the front end of the bag is placed into a small gasket area under the lid at the front of the appliance.
- The machine is started by pressing an electronic "vacuum" button followed by a light handed compression of the lid.
- Depending on the model, the appliance will automatically suck the air out of the vacuum bag until a vacuum sensor recognises that the air pressure in the bag has reached 0.15 bar when it will start the heat sealer.*
- The heat sealer will seal the front end of the vacuum bag preventing any further air being withdrawn from the bag and, more importantly, stop any air re-entering the bag.
- Once the seal is complete the lid of the appliance will either automatically release the vacuum sealed bag or require a quick depression of a release valve on the lid of the appliance to enable the bag to be freed from the appliance.**
* Note that on manual models the vacuum pump will continue to pump until the operator presses the seal activation button.
** Depending on model purchased.
PLEASE NOTE: All external suction vacuum sealers have a robust vacuum pump which extracts the air from the bags. The air pressure inhalation is 4 times greater than the exhalation of gas from a gas stove. In other words it is a significant extraction of air which will crush an empty coke can if placed inside one of our bags. For the safety of the user the heat sealer can only be used when the lid is down and the vacuum pump is operating. The sealer itself can reach temperatures of 120° C. It has an electronic power board feature which protects the appliance from overheating and thus there is no requirement to wait for the sealer to cool down before re-use.
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Where can I Find Out more about your Vacuum Bags, Rolls & Containers?fom
We have a whole section dedicated to our embossed or sometimes called "ribbed" or "channelled" vacuum bags or rolls as well as vacuum containers. Please click on the image below to find out more.
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Would a Domestic Vacuum Sealer be Suitable to Package Food to Sell at Farmers Markets or in Shops? f
We do have customers who have bought one of our domestic appliances for vacuum packaging of meats, fish and cheeses. However, generally speaking, if you are a commercial outlet with higher volumes of vacuum packing we recommend you look at our commercial chamber vacuum packers or larger external suction machines. Or, if you have a specific packing requirement that is unusual please contact us so we can explain more and perhaps point you in the right direction.
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I want to Vacuum Seal Liquids and Powders, will your Appliance Work? l
No, the truth is that a vacuum sealer is not designed to inhale any kind of liquid product as the vacuum pump will get damaged. Our normal warranty offer will not apply if there is evidence of damage caused by liquid elements. However, many of our customers do vacuum seal liquids and if you want to vacuum pack semi-solid sauces, stock, oily or blood filled meat or fish items you can do several things to prevent damage to the pump:
- Try to solidify the food item by cooling, chilling or freezing so that the viscosity of the produce becomes more solid than liquid.
- Hang the bag from the side of the counter to let gravity take affect.
- Do not overfill the bag - we suggest just half filling.
- Ensure that when you start the vacuum pump it is in manual mode rather than in automatic mode.*
- When you start to see the movement of liquid up through the vacuum bag immediately start the heat sealer by pressing the heat seal command button. This action will take 3 to 5 seconds to seal in the liquid and prevent it entering the lid of the appliance and subsequently into the pump itself.
- Remove any superfluous liquid in the lid of the appliance by wiping with a dry cloth before starting the next vacuum pump.
* Leaving the sealer in automatic mode will mean that it will keep pumping until a significant air pressure is reached. The liquid element may therefore not just enter the lid of the appliance but possibly go further and reach the pump as well as sensor mechanisms inside the machine. The first sign of liquid inside a damaged appliance is if the appliance will not automatically operate between the pump and seal functions.
The safest way to vacuum pack liquids is actually in the vacuum containers we supply as a complement to the appliance or if you are a commercial customer the acquisition of a chamber vacuum packer.
With regards to powdery items or even seeds we suggest these are vacuum packed inside a paper or other kind of bag inside our vacuum bags.
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What is Different About the Vacu-Seal™ Handheld Device? co
The Vacu-Seal™ Handheld Device is different from our external suction vacuum sealers. It is a cordless, space saving, battery operated device which is compact and convenient to use. It uses an environmentally friendly Vacu-Seal Bag™ featuring a re-closable airtight zip with a one-way valve. It is easy to use as follows:
- Place contents in the bag and seal zip. For foods with moisture, liquid or juice ensure a folded kitchen towel inside the bag and hold it in front of the valve opening.
- Ensure contents are close to (within 3 cm), but not touching the valve opening. Tilt bag if necessary.
- Insert vacuum tip into the Vacu-Seal™ valve on the bag.
- Press POWER button to remove the air. Once all the air is removed keep vacuuming for an additional 5 seconds.
- Store compressed Vacu-Seal™ bags in the fridge, freezer or cupboard.
The Vacu-Seal™ Bags are reusable and dishwasher-safe. There is no need to cut the seal and waste a portion of the bag, however, before using again, it is essential to ensure that there is no cross-contamination of bacteria from raw meats, fish, poultry or eggs or un-pasteurised cheese by complete sterilisation of the bags otherwise they should not be re-used.
NB: It is worth noting that the vacuum pressure reduction from a handheld device is never the same quality as an external suction vacuum sealing appliance where a vacuum bag is sealed by a burn and food freshness may vary as a result.
The warranty on the Vacu-Seal™ is 12 months for domestic use. This compares to a 24 month warranty on our external suction vacuum sealers for parts and labour.
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Could you tell me more about the Manufacturer?
Yes, our domestic vacuum sealers, vacuum bags and containers apart from the Vacu-Seal™ products are manufactured in Italy by ORVED SpA. The company is headquartered in Verona and has its factory and administration office near Venice. The company was established in 1984.
Orved Srl specialises in the design, manufacture and continual development of vacuum packaging technologies and solutions from an industrial scale down to domestic models. Unlike many manufacturers, the design concept of there equipment is based on tried and tested vacuum packing solutions rather than flimsy reverse aerosol suction devices.
The company has a network of agents and re-sellers in Italy and importers, distributors and professional dealers overseas, creating a genuine market worth €15 million in sales turnover. We at Culinary Innovations have been selling Orved machines in the United Kingdom since 2004. The ORVED Family Range is presently sold elsewhere in Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
More information can be found about Orved via our Links.
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What happens if my Vacuum Sealer Breaks Down? br
Should your domestic appliance break down or is in need of repair, you must contact LRS (Lincs) Ltd. in Grantham, Lincolnshire. LRS are our preferred technical service partner. In the event of your machine breaking down during the warranty period we request that the appliance should be immediately sent to LRS for their initial inspection. Their address and contact details are as follows:
LRS (Lincs) Ltd.
Units 9 – 10
Belton Lane Industrial Estate
Belton Lane
Grantham
NG31 9HN
Tel: 01476 565999
Fax: 01476 565990
LRS are factory trained by Orved to carry out servicing and repairs on our behalf and will inspect any damage prior to making any repairs to ensure that it is a warrantable repair. Damage to the machine due to excess of liquid and abuse and neglect of appliance do not constitute a free of charge repair.
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How do I Dispose of my Appliance? Di
Vacuum Sealers require correct recycling and should not be discarded without proper attention. For domestic users please take your appliance to any local or civic amenity depot for recycling of the electrical and electronic parts or, should you want a replacement vacuum sealer, call us for a free collection of your old appliance in return for a like for like sale of a new one. Business customers should contact us for details of our WEEE compliance scheme.
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