Magic Vac Dinamika - How to Preserve Food in MAGIC VAC Containers

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ABOUT VACUUM PACKING
HOW TO PRESERVE FOOD IN MAGIC VAC
®
BAGS
Thedeteriorationoffoodiscausedbychemicalreac-
tionsthatoccurinfoodwhichisexposedtotheair,tem-
perature,moisture,theactionofenzymes,thegrowthof
micro-organismsorcontaminationbyinsects.
Vacuumpackingreducestheabsolutepressureofthe
air inside the package or container, by removing the
oxygenandeliminatingvolatilecompounds.Theoxygen
intheaircauses foodto deteriorate,firstly througha
process of oxidation, causing the loss of nutritional
values, flavour and all the food’s qualities. Air also pro-
motesthegrowthofmostmicro-organismsandcauses
thefrostburnswhichoccuronfrozenfood.
Vacuum packing extends theshelf life of manyfresh
foods, by reducing oxidation and preventing the pro-
liferationofmicrobes (bacteria and mould).However,
manyfreshfoodscontainsufficientmoisturetoencour-
agethegrowthofmicro-organismsthatcangrowwith
or without air. To prevent the deterioration of such
foods,theymustbepreservedatlowtemperatures.
Micro-organisms like mould, yeast and bacteria are
presenteverywhere,buttheycancauseproblemsonly
in certain conditions.
Forexample,mouldwillnotgrowinenvironmentswith
alowoxygencontent,orintheabsenceofmoistureor
humidity.Togrow,yeastrequiresmoisture,sugaranda
moderatetemperature,butitcangrowinthepresence
or absence of air. Refrigeration slows the growth of
yeastandfreezingblocksit completely. Bacteria can
multiplywithorwithoutair,dependingontheirtype.
ClostridiumBotulinumisaverydangeroustypeofbac-
teriawhichcandevelopinenvironmentswhichdonot
containacids,arewithoutoxygenandareexposedto
temperaturesinexcessof4°Cforlongperiodsoftime.
Foodstuffs vulnerable to attack by Clostridium
Botulinum are those with low acidity (like red meat,
Vacuum packing for the freezer
Firstofall,usethefreshestpossiblefood.TheMAGIC
VAC
®
systemwillallowyoutoretainallthefreshness
ofthefoodonlyifitisproperlypreserved.Somefoods
have a softconsistency which could bedamaged by
vacuum packing the productwhen fresh. To prepare
delicatefoodslikemeat,fish,berries,bread,etc.,itis
advisableto pre-freeze them first. In the first twenty-
fourhoursthereisnoriskoffreezerburns,soyoucan
vacuumpackthe productsfrozentheprevious dayin
MAGIC VAC
®
bags,andthenkeeptheminthefreezer
for long periods so as to preserve all the nutritional
valuesandflavouroftheproductyouhavepacked.
When vacuum packing soups, stews or other liquid
food, pre-freeze it in a pan or high-strength dish. When
thefoodbecomessolid,vacuumpackit,addalabeland
replaceinyourfreezer.
To vacuum pack vegetables, peel them and then
blanchethem briefly in boiling water or a microwave
oven until they are warm but still firm. Then vacuum
packtheminconvenientportions.
Ifthefoodisnotpre-frozen,leaveanextra5cminthe
poultry,fish,seafood,olivesinbrine,eggs,mushrooms
andvegetables)andmediumacidityfoodslikevirtually
allvegetablesandmanyfruits (ripetomatoes,onions,
redpepper,figsandcucumbers).Topreventcontami-
nationbythisbacterium,itisessentialtoobservethe
basicrulesofhygieneand,topreventitsharmfulpro-
liferationinpreservedfoods,theymustberefrigerated
for short periods and/or frozen for long-life preserva-
tion.However,suchfoodsmustbeeatenimmediately
after heating.
Important: you must consume immediately any food
which has been heated while still sealed in MAGIC
VAC
®
bags. Leaving the food to cool slowly at room
temperature in the sealed vacuum bag may cause sev-
eral harmful micro-organisms to multiply, in just a few
hours, to values that are health-threatening.
Several enzymes found in foods cause increasingly
noticeable changes in colour, structure and flavour;
such changes depend on the preservation time, tem-
perature and, above all, the presence of air. To halt
the action of enzymes, vegetables must be blanched
brieflyusingsteamoramicrowaveoven.Foodwhich
containsahighpercentageofacidity,likemostfruits,
donotrequireblanching.Theabsenceofaircreatedby
thevacuumwillinanycaseslowdownorpreventthe
actionoftheseenzymes.
Insectlarvae arefrequently foundinmanylowwater
content or dried foods which have not been vacuum
packedorfrozen,andtheycandevelopduringpreser-
vation and thus contaminate the food. Some products
like flour and grain might contain larvae, but using
MAGIC VAC
®
vacuumpackingwillstopthemdevelop-
ing into insects.
lengthofthebagtoallowforexpansionduetofreezing.
With regard to meat and fish, it is advisable to place
the food on a paper towel and vacuum pack it with
thetowel inthe bag.Thiswillabsorbanymoisturein
the food.
To preserve food like focaccia, crêpes and small
hamburgers,stackthemontopofeachother,placing
greaseproofpaperorfilmbetweeneachpiece.Thiswill
makeiteasiertoremovesomeofthefood,repackage
therestandreplaceitimmediatelyinthefreezer.
Vacuum packing for the fridge
Forbusyhouseholds,foodcanbepreparedinadvance,
then vacuum packed and kept in the fridge for use
at different times, ready to be heated as and when
necessary.
Vacuum packing for the larder
Evenfoodsthatcankeepatroomtemperature(like,for
example, coffee, flour, pasta, sugar, etc.) can benefit
fromvacuumpacking.Iftheseproductsaretoremain
unusedforseveraldays,suchaswhenyougoawayon
holiday,it isadvisabletoprotectallfoodsby vacuum