Frequently Asked Questions

• GENERAL:
• What is the Science behind Vacuum Packing & Sealing?
• What are the Benefits of Using a Vacuum Food Sealer?
• Are there any Food Safety Issues Relating to Vacuum Sealing?
• Why does some Vacuum Packed Produce look as if it is no Longer in a Vacuum?
• APPLIANCES & CONSUMABLES:
• Can You Explain How a Domestic Vacuum Food Sealer Works?
• Would a Domestic Vacuum Food Sealer be Suitable to Package Food to Sell at Farmers Markets or in Shops?
• Do your Domestic Appliances require Special Vacuum Bags or Rolls?
• What is the Largest Bag Size your External Type Domestic Appliances will Vacuum Seal?
• Do you Supply Rolls?
• What is the Maximum Size of Item that will fit a 30 x 40 cm Bag?
• Can you cut Larger Bags to Size?
• Are your Vacuum Food Sealer Bags Compatible with other brands?
• Can I Boil Food in your Vacuum Bags?
• Do you always Keep a Stock of Vacuum Bags?
• What about Vacuum Containers? How do they Work?
• I want to Vacuum Pack Liquids and Powders, will your Appliance Work?
• What is Different About the Vacu-Seal™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer?
• MANUFACTURING, SERVICING & RECYCLING:
• Could you tell me more about the Manufacturers?
• What happens if my Appliance Breaks Down?
• How do I Dispose of my Appliance? 

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 packaging 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 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 packing 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.

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What are the Benefits of Using a Vacuum Food Sealer?

It is difficult to predict how long foods will remain durable after vacuum packing since the preservation depends on other factors such as the age and condition of the food when it entered the vacuum pack. However, it is established that vacuum packed foods can keep fresh for up 3 to 5 times longer when used in conjunction with refrigeration. The table below sets out some indications of the shelf life of vacuum packed foods kept in the refrigerator at +3/+5 ^oC.  These are guidelines only since it is not possible to give absolute figures:    

 NB: Please note that the data contained in the table is for information purposes and has no legal standing in law.

In the freezer, vacuum packed foods will not suffer the affects of rancidity caused by freezer burn.

Until recently vacuum packaging technology was principally the territory of food manufacturers and processors and professional users such as butchers.  Today the same benefits apply to food professionals and domestic users in smaller less expensive counter top appliances, i.e. "Fresh Food For Longer".

The benefits of vacuum sealing can be applied at two levels:

1. The home:
   • Preserve food freshness, flavour & nutritional value.
   • Prepare meals days in advance.
   • Bulk purchase and reduce the number of shopping trips.
   • Pack meals and snacks for outings.
   • Keep cupboards stocked whilst away.
   • Prevent freezer burn on cold frozen food produce.
   • Sous vide cook to keep foods' best flavour, texture and nutritional value.
     
      
2. The small commercial kitchen user, retailer, chef or caterer:
   • Reduce food wastage.
   • Sous-vide cook (no weight loss, better food quality and more succulent flavours).
   • Profitably extend shelf life of ingredients.
   • Safely remove air to avoid food deterioration.
   • Hygienically protect food from affects of micro-organisms.
   • Pre-pack produce ready for delivery.
   • Prepare covers in advance and store in vacuum bags or containers.
   • Prevent cross-contamination between cooked and uncooked foods. 

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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:

1. It is always advisable that poor quality foods should never be vacuum packed in attempt to extend shelf life, nor should vacuum sealing be used solely as a means of perpetual conservation of leftover foods.
   
   
2. Vacuum packing is never a substitute for chilling or freezing. The removal of air will stop the growth of mould but restrict and arrest the growth of yeast in combination with normal refrigeration or freezing.  Bacterial growth in a vacuum will be significantly reduced at chill temperatures of 3.3 - 5^oC and will prohibit growth at freeze temperatures of <-17 ^oC.

There is however one main food safety issue that although extremely rare needs to be recognised, notably Clostridium Botulinum, the organism that causes Botulism. In certain conditions only, anaerobic organisms (organisms that grow better in the absence of air), multiply and produce toxin at chill temperatures as low as 3.3^oC. It is therefore relevant to vacuum packing of uncooked and unchilled meats and fish in particular which may carry these organisms, especially smoked salmon.

To ensure that there is never any chance of food poisoning it is essential to pre-chill fresh meat and fish before creating a vacuum environment where Clostridium Botulinum can grow.

Listeria monocytogenes is a greater 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 Packed 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 packing and pre-chill garlic, simply because the gases will not expand when frozen or chilled. Cruciferous vegetables should only be vacuum packed after blanching, cooling and drying.

Mushrooms need special attention to their preservation. Before attempting to vacuum pack 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 packing. 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 Food Sealer Works?

All our vacuum sealers, with the exception of the Vacu-Seal™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer, are technically described as “external” vacuum packing machines, i.e. food and others items are not placed in to a vacuum chamber area inside a machine but placed into an external bag from which air is extracted.

The appliances are simple to operate as follows:

1. 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.
2. The machine is started by pressing an electronic "vacuum" button followed by a light handed compression of the lid.
3. Depending on the model, the appliance will automatically pump the air out of the vacuum bag, compressing the produce, and, once it has reached 0.15 bar, will start the heat sealer.*
4. The heat sealer will seal the front end of the vacuum bag preventing any further air being withdrawn and, more importantly, stopping air re-entering the bag.
5. Once the seal is completed the lid of the appliance will either automatically release the vacuum packed bag or require a quick depression of an air 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 type domestic appliances 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^oC,  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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Would a Domestic Vacuum Food Sealer be Suitable to Package Food to Sell at Farmers Markets or in Shops?

We do have customers who have bought one of our domestic appliances for packaging of meats, fish and cheeses. However, generally speaking, our appliances are more suited to food storage and cooking solutions than for packaging purposes. If you have a packaging requirement please contact us so we can explain more and perhaps point you in the right direction.

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Do your Domestic Appliances require Special Vacuum Bags or Rolls?

Yes, our external type vacuum appliances need embossed or sometimes called "channelled" vacuum bags or rolls. This is because almost all external type vacuum packers work in conjunction with the vacuum bag to create the maximum air extraction possible.  Our bags and rolls have a criss-crossing pattern on the inside of one side of the bag or roll to allow the pump to navigate the air through the bag or roll and at the same time hold a grip on the front end of the bag whilst pumping air through it.  All our embossed vacuum bags and rolls are made of a Polyamide (PA) air impenetrable exterior and a Polyethylene (PE) food approved interior. They are transparent bags which are remarkably resistant, do not allow oxygen to penetrate the film and guarantee excellent sealing results.

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What is the Largest Bag Size your External Type Domestic Appliances will Vacuum Pack?

The actual seal length of the sealing bar for a domestic appliance is 310 mm. Therefore the largest size bag that will operate in our domestic range of vacuum packers is 300 mm wide but of any length.  For our commercial customers we supply a wider range of models and a larger variety of bag sizes up to 40 x 60 cm.

Our standard stock range of bag sizes for our domestic machines are: 15 x 30 cm, 12 x 45 cm, 20 x 30 cm, 25 x 35 cm and 30 x 40 cm (width x length).  For those who prefer imperial measurements, 5.9 x 11.8, 4.7 x 17.7, 7.9 x 11.8, 9.8 x 13.8 and 11.8 x 15.7 inches. All our sizes are supplied in packs of 100 bags.

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Do you Supply Rolls?

Yes, we supply two sizes of roll: 20 x 600 cm (approximately 7.9 x 236.2 inches) and 30 x 600 cm (approximately 11.8 x 236.2 inches).  These can be cut to the right length, sealed at the bottom using one of our vacuum sealers and then vacuum pumped before sealing at the top end.

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What is the Maximum Size of Item that will fit a 30 x 40 cm Bag? m 

The size of any item to be vacuum packed is not only limited to the width and length of the item in question but also the depth. For example, a 2 to 2.5 Kg (3 to 4 lb) chicken will comfortably fit into a 30 x 40 cm bag. However, to ensure that larger items, particularly those with large circumferences, fit into a bag you should request a sample from us and test the item first.  At all times you should allow a 5 cm clearance at the head of the bag in order that the heat sealer can operate unhindered.

In terms of volumetric measurements our bags with a 5 cm head room will allow the following approximate literages:

• 15 x 30 cm - 1 litre
• 20 x 30 cm - 2 litres
• 25 x 35 cm - 4 litres
• 30 x 40 cm - 6 litres

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Can you cut Larger Bags to Size? R 

Yes, you can cut the bags to the right size, bottom and/or side seal using the heat sealer, extract the air through the front of the new custom bag size and then heat seal the top end.

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Are your Vacuum Food Sealer Bags and Rolls Compatible with other brands? C

Yes, many of our customers purchase vacuum bags or rolls from us because they cannot find them elsewhere or because we are lower on price than the retail outlet where they first purchased their vacuum sealer. The fact is that our embossed vacuum bags will work with appliances made by many other manufacturers of external type vacuum sealers, including FoodSaver, Bifinett, Magi Vac, Rival Seal a Meal and others. Please note that more compact appliances will only operate with our smaller bag sizes or smaller roll sizes.

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Can I Boil Food in your Vacuum Bags? B

No, but you can use our vacuum bags and rolls to poach in water up to 70­­­­­° C using a Heating Immersion Circulator or Water Bath. This is professionally called "Sous Vide" or "under vacuum". There are tangible culinary benefits to cooking under a vacuum for longer period of time at lower temperatures, notably in terms of taste and colour. With Sous Vide cooking there is no food contact with cooking oils which absorb and dilate nutritious substances and destroy vitamins. Food cooked in the bag will therefore be more tender and succulent than traditionally cooked produce. You can cook whole roasts, joints, raw fish and some prepared foods such as rice, vegetables and sauce based meals in the bag. 

If you prefer to cook a meal, eat a portion of it and store the remainder then there are no problems with vacuum packing, chilling or freezing and then re-heating in a bag if so desired.

Our vacuum bags will also withstand a small length of time in the microwave at full power. No more than 2 to 3 minutes.

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Do you always Keep a Stock of Vacuum Bags or Rolls?

We always try and hold replacement vacuum bags and rolls in stock at all times. We offer 4 different sizes of bags: 15 x 30 cm, 20 x 30 cm, 25 x 35 cm & 30 x 40 cm (width x length) and 2 roll sizes: 20 x 600 cm and 30 x 600 cm (width x length).

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What about Vacuum Containers? How do they work?

Each of our appliances is supplied with a hose piece and tube attachment. These accessories will attach to a nozzle piece in the vacuum sealer and anyone of our polycarbonate vacuum containers.

To create a vacuum inside the container is very easy:

1. Attach the tube to both the appliance and the screw valve on the top of the container lid.
2. Start the vacuum pump ensuring that the screw valve on the container lid is unscrewed.
3. Apply hand pressure to both the lid of the container and the tube attachment.*
4. After the appliance has created the vacuum it will stop pumping and you can detach the accessory pieces.
5. Tighten the screw valve to close out the air and to ensure it cannot re-enter the container.

* This process can require a good level of force to begin with until the lid of the container is securely fixed to the container. The extraction of air will force the lid to the container once under vacuum pressure.

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I want to Vacuum Pack Liquids and Powders, will your Appliance Work?

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 pack 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:

1. Try to solidify the food item by cooling, chilling or freezing so that the viscosity of the produce becomes more solid than liquid.
2. Hang the bag from the side of the counter to let gravity take affect.
3. Do not overfill the bag - we suggest just half filling.
4. Ensure that when you start the vacuum pump it is in manual mode rather than in automatic mode.*
5. 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.
6. 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.

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™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer? co

The Vacu-Seal™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer is different from our external type vacuum sealers.  It is a space saving battery operated vacuum sealer 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:

1. 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.
2. Ensure contents are close to (within 3 cm), but not touching the valve opening.  Tilt bag if necessary.
3. Insert vacuum tip into the Vacu-Seal™ valve on the bag.
4. Press POWER button to remove the air.  Once all the air is removed keep vacuuming for an additional 5 seconds.
5. 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.  To learn more about how to use a Vacu-Seal™, including a demonstration movie, please link to: www.vacu-seal.com.

NB: It is worth noting that the vacuum pressure reduction from a handheld pump is never the same as an external type appliance 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 vacuum sealers. 

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Could you tell me more about the Manufacturers?

Our external type vacuum pack appliances, vacuum bags and containers are manufactured in Italy by ORVED Srl. 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 packaging 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 €8 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 at: www.orved.it

The VacuSeal™ Cordless Handheld Vacuum Sealer is supplied by: www.vacu-seal.com

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What happens if my Appliance Breaks Down? br

Should your external type 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.

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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 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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