High-Vacuum Packaging is a packaging method used to protect products from the effects of the environment. Although it’s mostly used to increase the shelf life of food products, it is also used in the preservation of biological specimens, bait, documents, electronics, and to protect gas-sensitive components. Vacuum packaging is also an integral process of the Sous Vide (under vacuum) cooking method.
During the High-Vacuum Packaging process most atmospheric oxygen is removed from inside a container, thus protecting the product for spoilage by limiting the action of aerobic bacteria and fungi, and preventing the evaporation of volatile components.
For food applications Vacuum Packing is commonly used for long-term storage of dry foods such as cereals, nuts, cured meats, cheese, smoked fish, coffee, and grains.
It is also used for the storage of fresh and frozen foods such as vegetables, fish, meats, and liquids such as stocks and sauces.
As a rule of thumb, Vacuum Packaging may extend a product’s shelf life by 3-5 times. The actual number may differ though, as the nature of the product and the cleanliness in which it is packaged will affect its usable life.
Some Vacuum Packaging Machines include Modified Atmosphere (MAP) Systems, which inject inert gasses into the container after air is evacuated and before the container is sealed. This protects the product being damaged by the crushing forces of the atmospheric pressure.