The National Center for Food Preservation warns that there are risks with vacuum sealed food products. Some harmful bacteria that only grow in air-free setting can grow much better and faster in vacuum sealed products than if they were not vacuum sealed.
In an almost oxygen-free environment like vacuum packaging produces, the spoilage bacteria do not multiply very fast so the loss of food quality is slowed down. Some pathogenic (illness-causing) bacteria, however, like low-oxygen environments and reproduce well in vacuum-packaged foods.
Vacuum-sealed bags keep all air out, which prevents proper ventilation for your clothes. In some instances, this can lead to mold growing in the bags — especially if you live in an area with a lot of moisture in the air.
In an oxygen-depleted environment, anaerobic bacteria can proliferate, potentially causing food-safety issues. Some pathogens of concern in vacuum packed foods are spore-forming non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum, Yersenia enterocolitica, and Listeria monocytogenes.
Vacuum packaging (VP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can increase the shelf-life of chilled foods by limiting the growth of microorganisms. However, under certain circumstances, a bacterium called non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) may grow in the absence of oxygen.
Fluffy items such as coats, insulated jackets and sleeping bags that have plenty of air trapped in them to operate optimally should never be vacuum sealed. When you suck the air out of these items, their fabric is compressed and stays in that state for a long time. There is no great way to fluff them up again.
All reputable vacuum sealer bag producers should have something in their product description to reassure the customer that their products are safe. Another commonly used phrase is 'FDA approved', which many use as a shorthand to mean that the plastic is 'food grade'.
Some foods contain anaerobic bacteria, which can grow without the presence of air. Within a vacuum sealed pouch, with reduced oxygen, these bacteria will grow and may pose a risk to your health.
Background: Bacteria are readily nourished in airtight environments with high humidity, such as storage cabinets, clothing closets, and corners, where ventilation is normally low and humidity is high.
“Reusing plastic bags is hugely beneficial to the environment but the public should be mindful of the ability of bacteria to contaminate and survive on bags for long periods of time. Bacteria can easily transfer from different types of reuseable bags to the hands and back again.
The food can look, smell and taste perfectly fine. Botulism is most likely to result from low-acid, moist foods canned or vacuum packaged in an air-free environment. Think chili in a can, mushroom soup or smoked seafood. Also, think low acid veggies or meats vacuum-sealed on your kitchen table.
If it is getting close to that time, and you need to clean the vacuum bag out before you begin your spring cleaning, below are four things that could potentially be lurking in that bag. One of most commonly found organisms inside a vacuum bag is dust mites.
Leather, silk, cashmere, thick wool garments, and any natural fiber materials that could be damaged by compression should not be vacuum sealed. This may include woven items, hemp, or items with feathers. Basically, if a garment should not be compressed or squashed, it should not go into a vacuum-sealing bag.
Vacuum sealing food has several disadvantages including the risk of anaerobic bacteria growth, the potential for plastic poisoning, and the inability to seal liquids effectively. Not all foods are suitable for vacuum sealing, such as soft cheeses, onions, garlic, green vegetables, raw mushrooms, and raw bananas.
Bacteria from aggregates at least half a millimeter in diameter survived three years of exposure to space, and were capable of repairing the genetic damage they suffered.
In most cases (astrobiology research, food preservation technologies), the exposure of microorganisms in vacuum is permanent for the whole life of a cell.
Vacuum sealer manufacturers recommend that you do not package raw onions, fresh mushrooms or fresh garlic due to botulinum concerns. Some foods do not seal well, such as bakery foods and liquid products.
While different types of bacteria need different temperatures and other conditions to grow and survive, they all need nutrients and water, or moisture.
The vacuum sealed life expectancy of large cuts of meat such beef, poultry, lamb and pork have a normal shelf life of 6 months when kept in the freezer. Vacuum sealed shelf life? A massive 2 to 3 years. Ground meats from beef, poultry, lamb and pork only last for around 4 months when frozen.
Airtight packaging doesn't slow down bacteria growth. There are a few myths about them which don't apply in practice: Bacteria are not kept out, despite popular belief – the air within the container has as many bacteria as the air outside. The food in the container also has bacteria – cooking doesn't sterilize food!
Sous vide manufacturer ChefSteps recommends using food-grade vacuum sealing bags because they're BPA-free and made of polyethylene (we like the ones made by FoodSaver).
But vacuum sealing of solid foods for freezing beats Ziplock type freezer bags hands down. There really is no comparison in the resulting food quality and the freezer storage life of the two. Vacuum packed foods have 2-3x the storage life.