Freeze drying machines can keep food fresh and tasty for years. Investing in a quality freeze drying machine like those sold by Harvest Right gets you started, but you'll need to repeatedly buy accessories - pouches, oxygen absobers, desiccants, and even heat sealers. Those can add up. And you don't want that food to go to waste by using the wrong packaging.
We at IMPAK are acknowledged leaders in the moisture barrier packaging industry. In fact, we have supplied Harvest Right with some of the sealers and packaging they offer. Because we specialize in commercial/industrial grade packaging materials, you can get the best quality and pricing from IMPAK. Take advantage of these not-to-be-missed offers while they last:
The best
2oz freeze dried
food package
ANYWHERE.
$19.95
$249.95
12" Tabletop Hand Impulse Sealer
$53.50
Harvest Right sells 8" x 12" pouches for $.50 apiece or 10" x 14" pouches for $.60 apiece. We can offer our slightly smaller 4.25" x 10.75" pouches for less than $.09 apiece. You do the math!
"I bought the Deluxe Bundle for me and three friends, and it should last us for a whole year of what we freeze dried from our home gardens."
- Garrett S, Sun Valley, CA
For many people who grow their own food, a single harvest can yield far more than can be consumed in a few days, and freeze drying is the best way to preserve your food's taste and nutritional value. Proper freeze drying and packaging of food can provide you with stores that last up to 25 years, but it's far more common for people to keep freeze dried foods in sealed containers for less than a year. That's why why recommend using desiccant packets to keep your in-pouch freeze dried food safe and dry.
What Factors Affect Freeze Dried Food Product Quality in Packaging?
Selecting the right barrier properties for protection is important as these factors affect product quality during storage. Removing as much oxygen, light, and moisture as possible is the best way to create long-term dried food storage success. After freeze drying your product, placing it into a high barrier MylarFoil bag with a desiccant or oxygen absorber packet and sealing ensures freshness and longevity. When sealing foods into larger bulk food bags, the contents can be used while stored then resealed for freshness afterward without having to open and use a full package at once.
High Barrier Pouches
IMPAK has produced a pouch from a strong, high barrier material - the same material used for medical test packaging - that is perfect for keeping freeze dried food safe from air and moisture. PAKVF4C is a versatile MylarFoil laminate that provides protection against light, oxygen, and moisture, and features an inner layer designed to prevent seal contamination by sealing directly through powders, oils, sauces, and other materials that may "spill" into the sealing area. Its sealant layer is designed to withstand the high heat and pressure of more difficult products and applications such as hot fill.
See more pouches made from PAKVF4C.
Desiccants vs. Oxygen Absorbers
Oxygen scavengers and desiccants play an important role in maintaining the quality of your freeze dried foods. Just remember that they play very different roles and should not be used together because desiccants may render certain oxygen absorber formulas ineffective.
Desiccants
Freeze dried foods are particularly sensitive to environmental factors. The moisture in standing air alone is enough to shorten the shelf life of these goods significantly. If you are keeping your freeze dried food for less than two years before cunsuming them, desiccants such as our molecular sieve packets will keep your freeze dried food dry and crisp. Simply drop one of these into the opened pouch and seal it, making sure to press out as much air as you can when you do. The graph included here shows how well molecular sieve works, eliminating most of the moisture in a packet of freeze dried fruit within minutes. The rate at which this material can remove moisture from a seal environment is unbeatable.
Molecular sieve really is the best desiccant, guaranteed scientifically, and we recommend it for freeze dried foods because it will eliminate moisture faster and more thoroughly than any other desiccant. Without such a desiccant, you run the risk of letting your carefully freeze dried food get soggy from exposure to moisture in the air.
The chart shown below demonstrates how a 3.5 gram packet of molecular sieve removes moisture far more thoroughly than a larger (5 gram) packet of silica gel.
molecular sieve removes more moisture quickly
charts comparing molecular sieve to silica gel
Oxygen Absorbers
Oxygen within packaging can significantly reduce the shelf life of stored ingredients, so using oxygen absorbers to remove the oxygen left in the package itself after sealing allows you to keep freeze dried food unspoiled for years. The best use of oxygen absorber packets with freeze dried items is placing them with your food into a high barrier pouch before sealing for long term storage. Our StayFresh™ oxygen absorber packets will keep properly packaged and sealed freeze dried foods perfectly edible for up to 25 years. And we also sell these at a better price than Harvest Right. Keep in mind that oxygen absorbers are not reusable.
Learn more about oxygen absorbers
Sealers
The best way to seal a MylarFoil pouch for storage is with a heat sealer like our IPK-305H. Once you've opened your pouch of freeze dried food, you can either create another reliable seal with your heat sealer or use a sealing clip to keep out air and moisture for the food that remains.
Need more Information? Our specialists are happy to help.
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