Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Retort Canning, Basic Information

Retort Canning
Retort canning is a widely used, safe way of commercial canning foods, typically for retail use. Retort pouch bags are used for canning, a process fast becoming an industry standard for commercial food preparations.
Retort pouches have often been used in field rations, space food and camping foods. A retort pouch is made of multiple layers of flexible laminate. If you’ve seen a Capri Sun juice pouch, you’ve seen an example of a retort pouch. You may have also seen tuna companies, such as StarKist or Chicken of the Sea utilizing the retort pouch sealing method. The metal foil laminate is gaining popularity in use as an alternative to traditional canning methods.
The U.S. Army, Reynolds Metals Company and Continental Flexible packaging originally invented the pouch. Historically, the U.S. military has used the pouches for field rations (MREs or Meals, Ready-to-Eat).
The flexible metal-plastic laminate is able to withstand thermal processing used for sterilization, which makes for a safe food storage environment. The pouch is heated under high temperature for several minutes, under high pressure inside retort machines. Food inside the pouches is cooked, in a way similar to pressure-cooking. This sterilization process kills all common microorganisms and prevents food from spoiling.
The retort canning process is similar to canning, with the exception of the container being flexible. The pouches are not regular Mylar bags. Retort canning uses pouches that have been specifically designed to withstand being hot packed.
Many foods lend themselves to the flexibility of the retort canning method, so today’s canners are moving toward this increasingly popular style of canning.
Find retort canning bags here.  http://vacupack.com/bag-flat-commercial/retort-canning

Copywrite PMG 2012

Retort Canning of has NO Scientific data from the FDA or USDA for home canners.  The concerns come from non acid foods such as meats!  We are expressing our experiences, but by no way are these experiences authorized data. Can at your own risk!  
As they say, "Re-Heat before you Eat" on any home canned product in glass, cans or retort for best safety practices.  
All home canning is AT YOUR OWN RISK! 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Warning on Retort Bags, and Retort Canning

Retort canning is a fun and new way of canning all types of foods.  Look around in your grocery store and you will see many manufactures taking advantage of retort packaging.  The bags all have a different look custom to the manufacture. 
When a manufacture orders bags they are custom built and printed by the millions. The Military  US Gov. has a green bag and Stock Pot Soups has a clear bag. Both the green and clear bags are not available to the general public.   The bags available to any manufacture or end user for homes or businesses is gold.
   
Retort bags are FDA approved for canning. Mylar bags are not! There is only one bag on the market available for home uses or small commercial food manufactures to use for retort canning.  It is gold in color flat, no gusset, in 2,4,8,and 16 oz sizes. 
Be sure the bags you are buying are gold and have this printed on them.

THIS PRODUCT IS FULLY COOKED & VACUUM SEALED. DO NOT USE CONTENTS IF UNOPENED POUCH IS LEAKING OR HAS BEEN DAMAGED.
REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING.



If you run into a reseller who is promoting bags that they claim are retort bags and they do not fit this description do not can in them.  They are most likely a very thick Mylar bag not suitable air barrier for canning as well as can be toxic when cooked in.   

Americans are innovators that is what makes this country great.  However the creators of bag materials have run extensive studies on the materials for each purpose.  Mylar was not created to be canned in nor was clear flat bags or other plastics. 

Be safe not sorry it is your family that will suffer if you cut corners and use a bag not designed for retort canning.

Retort Canning of has NO Scientific data from the FDA or USDA for home canners.  The concerns come from non acid foods such as meats!  We are expressing our experiences, but by no way are these experiences authorized data. Can at your own risk!  
As they say, "Re-Heat before you Eat" on any home canned product in glass, cans or retort for best safety practices.  
All home canning is AT YOUR OWN RISK! 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's Canning Time! Retort Bags or Jars

It's Canning Time!


Have you discovered the advantages of retort canning?

Canning is a great way to preserve and stock food. Every year, people break out the Mason jars and pressure cookers to prepare batches of fresh fruits and vegetables, jellies and jams, pickled condiments, or even meats, for year-round storage. But did you know there's a better way than bulky Mason jars or metal cans?

Retort canning, the latest in food storage technology, is both convenient and efficient. This method uses special retort packaging, made with flexible metal foil and plastic laminate—think Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) or Capri Sun pouch drinks—that are vacuum sealed to improve the canning process and increase storage times.

How does retort canning work?

The methods for retort canning are very similar to jar canning. You use the same pressure-cooker boiling methods you're used to for regular canning—it's just the storage container that changes.

For retort canning, simply place your prepared food (sliced or diced fruits and vegetables, jams, jellies, pickles, chutney, cooked or leather-style meat) into retort pouches, and seal with your vacuum packaging machine. Please note that retort pouches require higher sealing temperatures than regular vacuum bag, so you'll need either a machine that's designed for retort canning, or an upgraded sealing bar.

Then, boil your pouches in a pressure cooker, just as you would Mason jars. While retort pouch seals are also susceptible to bursting during the pressure-cooking phase, the average rate of burst retort canning seals is less than 1 percent.

Why should you choose retort canning?

There are plenty of advantages to retort canning. These include:

 Improved flavor. With retort canning, all the juices remain in the bag—there's no water transfer either into or out of retort pouches inside the pressure cooker.

 More volume. When you use lower canning pressure of no more than 10 pounds, you can fit an extra 1 to 2 ounces of product in each pouch with no increases in burst seals.

 Elimination of bacteria. Vacuum sealing protects your preserves from bacteria. One note here: Make sure your product is completely cooled before vacuum packaging to ensure 100 percent efficiency.

 Longer shelf life. Retort canned goods last 3 to 5 years or longer—and still taste just as great as the first day they were canned.

 Store more in smaller spaces. Slim, flexible retort packaging takes up less space than traditional Mason jars, so you can put up more food where storage space is at a premium.

In addition to canning, retort packaging has plenty of additional uses. We love retort canning to store emergency water rations. You can also use this method to store quick-serve individual meals—one of our favorites is lightly grilled hamburgers.

Enjoy the advantages of retort canning this season!
http://vacupack.com/bag-flat-commercial/retort-canning

At VacuPack, we're introducing two new chamber units, just in time for the canning season. They're smaller, less expensive, and come with upgrades for retort canning. Check out the MiniPack MVS20 and the Sammic 204T on our website—http://www.vacupack.com/ and happy canning!

Written by Melissa
wordsbymelissa.com

Copywrite PMG 2012
All links must remain active in this article if republished.

Retort Canning of has NO Scientific data from the FDA or USDA for home canners.  The concerns come from non acid foods such as meats!  We are expressing our experiences, but by no way are these experiences authorized data. Can at your own risk!  
As they say, "Re-Heat before you Eat" on any home canned product in glass, cans or retort for best safety practices.  
All home canning is AT YOUR OWN RISK! 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Bulk Up Your Stash

Bulk Up Your Stash Why vacuum packing is perfect for emergency survival food More people than ever are looking for long-term food storage solutions for a variety of reasons, from economic to preparatory. Whether you're looking to save money, you're a hiker or outdoor enthusiast, or you just want to be ready in case the world ends, there are plenty of benefits to incorporating vacuum sealing into your emergency survival kit.
Reasons for using vacuum packing If you're preparing large quantities of survival food, there's no better method than vacuum sealing. This technique has several advantages over dry storage, canning, and even deep freezing, including:
Shelf life. Vacuum-packed foods last longer than other storage methods. For food that requires refrigeration, you can prepare, vacuum-seal, and freeze them, and they'll keep for one to two years. If you dehydrate the food first, the shelf life is extended to two years or more. For dry goods and non-perishables, vacuum packing also provides two or more years of shelf life.
Storage space. Vacuum packages have a slim, flat profile, making them easy to store in piles, or even stacks of boxes. They take up far less space than typical canning storage, so you can store more food in a smaler space.
Nutrition and flavor. Vacuum-sealed food retains more nutrients and flavor than other traditional storage methods.
Food safety. Because vacuum packing keeps oxygen away from the food, mold and bacteria can't develop. In addition, the lack of oxygen prevents insect infestations, and the prevention of escaping odors keeps wildlife from invading your stash.
How to make your own MREs MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat, are a great staple for any outdoor trip or emergency survival kit—but they can get expensive. Making your own MREs with vacuum sealing is an affordable—and lightweight—way to build up your emergency food supply. With homemade MREs, you can seal a full day's rations into one package. Here's a quick menu idea for one day:
Breakfast: Two oatmeal packages, two tea bags, 4 oz. ground coffee Lunch: Dried beef jerky, whole-wheat crackers, dehydrated fruit mix Dinner: Beef stew mix (dehydrated vegetables, rice or quick-cook pasta, meat jerky broken into pieces, salt, seasonings)
To vacuum-seal an MRE, package the components for each meal in a separate, regular zip-lock bag, place the bags inside a vacuum pack bag, and then close with your vacuum sealing machine according to the instructions. Be prepared for anything Vacuum sealing can help you put up plenty of emergency survival food for any occasion, ensuring that you're well-stocked at all times. It's the ideal low-cost, space-saving, long-term solution for survival and food storage.

http://www.vacupack.com/
http://www.vacupack.ca/

Author
wordsbymelissa.com

Copywrite PMG 2012