Magic Vac Jumbo - About Vacuum Packing

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ABOUT VACUUM PACKING
Thedeteriorationoffoodiscausedbychemicalreactionsthatoccurinfoodwhichisexposedtotheair,temperature,
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,rstlythroughaprocessofoxidation,
causingthelossofnutritionalvalues,avourandallthefood’squalities.Airalsopromotes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proliferationof
microbes (bacteria and mould). However, many fresh foods contain sufcient moisture to encourage 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bacteria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,poultry,sh,seafood,
olivesinbrine,eggs,mushroomsandvegetables)andmediumacidityfoodslikevirtuallyallvegetablesandmanyfruits
(ripetomatoes,onions,redpepper,gsandcucumbers).Topreventcontaminationbythisbacterium,itisessentialto
observethebasicrulesofhygieneand,topreventitsharmfulproliferationinpreservedfoods,theymustberefrigerated
forshortperiodsand/orfrozenforlong-lifepreservation.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 several 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avour;suchchanges
dependonthepreservationtime,temperatureand,aboveall,thepresenceofair.Tohalttheactionofenzymes,vegetables
mustbeblanchedbriey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preservationandthuscontaminatethefood.Someproductslikeourandgrainmightcontain
larvae,butusingMAGICVAC
®
vacuumpackingwillstopthemdevelopingintoinsects.