I have read this. Not sure if it is 100% accurate. But when you vaccum seal it does extend the life of products substantially however; it still oxidizes b/c you cannot get all the O2 out of the baggie. I know O2 is what oxidizes any substance.
Also, look at computer chips, silicon is very sensitive to oxidation. Much more than food products. They don't always vacuum seal it but they always have an oxygen absorber in them. I sell training materials over in Silicon valley and asked one of the training coordinators the other day. He told me it is not the air in the bag but the O2. The O2 absorbers only leave nitrogen in the container, hence; no oxidation.
I also question why to leave the products in the freezer. My dad has a masters degree in chemistry and he stated abbott labs never puts things in freeezers. Maybe large refrigerators, or nitrogen tanks, but not freezers. I was wondering if the freezer could degrade the molecules? Seeing that all of this is theoretical in nature, do we really know the best way to store the stuff? I think the key to storage is a cool place and no o2, and dry in the container. As long as we accomplish this it does not matter how we store it. I was thinking the basement or a crawl space is a good idea, with dessicants, O2 absorbers in a glass bottle. I question the ability of plastic to keep its integrity longer than five years in a freezer. I buy 100 lbs of 1 lb vaccum sealed buffalo every two years. I am always amazed how the plastic gets very small tears in it when I am not moving it around. Oxygen and moisture do get into the meat and you can tell when it does b/c small raised sections are noticeable. Usually at a pharmacuetical company most things are stored in tinted glass bottles. Just my two cents.
Here is an interesting article I found from Walton Feed. They specialize in selling/storing food products for an extended period of time. I would go right to 2 and 3. You can see they talk about O2 leaching into plastic anyway, which is why I feel glass is superior for long term storage. Nothing is leaching into a glass container unless it is cracked.
1 VACUUM SEALING CONSIDERATIONS
#1 - Sucking dust or powder into your pump will eventually lead to degraded performance or even damage. To deter this from happening when sealing dry, powdery foods you can try cutting a piece of coffee filter paper to fit inside of the jar adapter fitting so that any air pulled out of the container must flow through the filter paper before going into the pump lines. I have also seen used a clear, see-through fuel filter in the vacuum line between the jar adapter and the pump. This will block all but the finest dust particles and allows you to see when the filter needs changing. Of course, an opaque fitting will work as well, you'll just have to wait until air flow is significantly restricted to know when to change the filter. If the pump flow rate is adjustable, try pumping more slowly to lessen the amount of dust sucked out of the container.
#2 - The harder the vacuum you draw on a flexible container, such as a bag, the harder the bag will press against its contents. For smooth foods such as beans, corn and wheat this is of no significance. For sharply pointed foods such as long grain rice, rye and some kinds of dehydrated foods it may pull the bag against the food hard enough to puncture the material. This is especially the case if the package is to be handled often. For foods such as this consider putting the food inside of a paper bag first before sealing into the plastic bag. #3 - Combining vacuum sealing with flushing or purging with inert gasses can improve the efficiency of both. By drawing out most of the oxygen laden air from a container there is less for the inert gas to have to displace. This, in turn, means that the final oxygen content in the head gas will be lower than it otherwise would be if the vacuum process hadn't been used. Combining vacuum sealing with oxygen absorbers means that a lower capacity (and cheaper) absorber can be used. It can also extend the absorptive life of the absorber thus allowing it to remove any oxygen that might infuse through the packaging material or through microscopic leaks.
Here is another interesting article on long term storage. I deleted some useless **** not worth reading.
Within reason, the key to prolonging the shelf life of your edibles lies in lowering the temperature of the area they are stored in. The storage lives of most foods are cut in half by every increase of 18 deg. F (10 deg. Celsius). For example, if you've stored your food in a garage that has a temperature of 90 deg. F, you should expect a shelf life less than half of what could be obtained at room temperature (70 deg. F) this in turn is less than half the storage life that you could get if you kept them in your refrigerator at 40 deg. F. Your storage area should be located where the temperature can be kept above freezing (32 deg. F) and, if possible, below 72 deg. F.
Ideally, your storage location should have a humidity level of 15% or less, but unless you live in the desert it's not terribly likely you'll be able to achieve this. Regardless, moisture is not good for your stored edibles so you want to minimize it as much as possible. This can be done by several methods. The first is to keep the area air-conditioned and/or dehumidified during the humid times of the year. The second is to use packaging impervious to moisture and then to deal with the moisture trapped inside. If you are able, there's no reason not to use both.
All containers should be kept off the floor and out of direct contact from exterior walls to reduce the chances of condensation.
Another major threat to your food is oxygen. Chances are that if you have it sealed in moisture-proof containers then they are probably air-tight as well. This means that the oxygen can also be kept from doing its damage. If no more can get in, your only concern is the O2 that was trapped in the container when it was sealed. Lowering the percentage of O2 to 2% or less of the atmosphere trapped in the packaging (called head gas) can greatly contribute to extending its contents shelf life. The three main tactics for achieving this are vacuum sealing, flushing with inert gas or chemically absorbing the oxygen. Any one or a combination of the three can be used to good effect.
Once you have temperature, humidity and oxygen under control, it is then necessary to look at light. Light is a form of energy and when it shines on your stored foods long enough it transfers some of that energy to the food. This has the effect of degrading its nutritional content and appearance. Fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D and E are particularly sensitive to light degradation. It certainly is a pretty sight to look at rows and rows of jars full of delicious food, particularly if you were the one that put the food in those jars.
However, if you want to keep them at their best, you'll admire them only when you turn the light on in the pantry to retrieve one. If you don't have a room that can be dedicated to this purpose then store the jars in the cardboard box they came in. This will protect them not only from light, but help to cushion them from shocks which might break a jar or cause it to lose its seal. For those of you in earthquake country, it's a particularly good idea. When "terra" is no longer "firma" your jars just might dance right off onto the floor.
Assuming they were properly processed in the first place, canned, dried and frozen (never thawed) foods do not become unsafe when stored longer than the recommended time, but their nutrient quality fades and their flavor goes downhill. Following these rules of good storage will keep your food wholesome and nutritious for as long as possible:
#1 - First In, First Out (FIFO) means rotating your storage
#2 - Cooler is better
#3 - Drier is better
#4 - Less oxygen exposure means more shelf life.
#5 - Don't shed light on your food.
Think of rotating your food storage as paying your food insurance premiums -- slacking off on rotation cuts back on your coverage. Is your food insurance up to date?
