A meat-packaging procedure and a machine for packaging meat cuts for long-term storage is operated at temperatures of between 28 and 42 F. The process includes sealing meat cuts or full poultry birds or bird pieces within a master bag containing (i) oxygen scavenger materials capable of reducing the residual oxygen content of the atmosphere within the bag to 0 ppm within 96 hours of sealing, and (ii) a CO2 generator capable to generate CO2 in the amount of at least 100 mL per pound of meat or poultry within 7 days of sealing. Gas is injected into the master bag to form a CO2-rich storage environment of at least 50% CO2. For meat trays containing meat with poor color stability, oxygen scavengers are preferably placed within the meat trays. For cuts with good color stability, the oxygen scavengers may be placed outside the meat trays.

A vacuum sealer apparatus includes a housing having a vacuum chamber therein, a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber, a sealing mechanism adjacent a periphery of the vacuum chamber, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to execute program code stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to calculate a rate of change of a vacuum level in the vacuum chamber responsive to energizing the vacuum pump to withdraw air from the vacuum chamber, and to energize the sealing mechanism and/or reduce power to the vacuum pump based on the rate of change of the vacuum level. Related methods of operation are also discussed.

A device (1) for evacuating gas from a package (50) in a packaging apparatus, the package (50) having an open end (55), the open end (55) having a terminal portion (54), a non-terminal portion (52), and an intermediate portion (53) located between the terminal portion (54) and the non-terminal portion (52) of the open end (55), the device (1) comprising a vacuum chamber (10) having an elongated opening (14) extending along a longitudinal axis of the vacuum chamber (10), an evacuation means configured for providing the vacuum chamber (10) with an internal vacuum pressure that is lower than an ambient pressure outside the vacuum chamber (10), means for moving (30) a package (50) relative to the vacuum chamber (10), and a control unit (60) programmed for controlling the means for moving (30) to relatively move a package (50) to be evacuated with respect to the vacuum chamber (10), the package (50) and the means for moving (30) each being arranged with respect to the vacuum chamber (10) so that a main movement direction (40) of packages (50) placed on the means for moving (30) and the longitudinal axis of the vacuum chamber (10) are substantially parallel to one another, the package (50) to be evacuated being positioned so that, during the relative movement of the package (50) with respect to the vacuum chamber (10), a terminal portion (54) of the open end (55) of the package (50) relatively moves within the vacuum chamber (10) and a non-terminal portion (52) of the open end (55) relatively moves outside the vacuum chamber (10), an intermediate portion (53) of the open end (55) passing through and relatively moving along the opening (14), and activating the evacuation means to provide the vacuum chamber (10) with the internal vacuum pressure. A packaging process using the gas evacuation device and a packaging apparatus including the device are also disclosed.

A method and system for filling a flexible film bag attached to a face plate with a flowable composition is disclosed. The system includes a chamber for receiving the flexible film bag and a fill tube for dispensing the flowable composition into the flexible film bag, where the fill tube is at least partially disposed in the film bag. The system also includes a first pump in fluid communication with the chamber, where the first pump creates a vacuum between an exterior surface of the flexible film bag and an interior surface of the chamber, such that the flexible film bag expands from an unexpanded state to an expanded state.

A low-temperature vacuum cooking device and a cooking appliance including low-temperature vacuum cooking device are provided. The cooking appliance may include a housing including a container mount and a vacuum-packing module mount provided adjacent to each other, a first container having a space to accommodate a liquid therein, the first container being configured to be coupled with the container mount, a heater that heats the liquid accommodated in the first container, a vacuum pressure generator installed on the vacuum-packing module mount to suction air inside a food packing bag, a sealer installed adjacent to the vacuum pressure generator that heats the food packing bag in order to seal it, a cover rotatably installed on the housing to cover or open the first container and the vacuum pressure generator, and a high-temperature cooking unit including a top plate and a high-temperature heater provided at a lower portion of the top plate.

A food storage appliance is provided including a housing containing operative components of the food storage appliance. There is a first heat sealing element disposed on a lower portion of the housing configured to heat seal a first end of a section of food storage container material forming a food storage container unsealed at a second end. A vacuum chamber is disposed in an upper portion of the housing connected to a source of suction. A second heat sealing element is disposed in the upper portion of the housing adjacent to the vacuum chamber configured to heat seal the second end of the food storage container after being inserted into the vacuum chamber and being evacuated by suction from the suction source.

A vacuum drawer for vacuuming food comprises a vacuum chamber (20) which can be closed in an airtight manner by a cover (21) which can be actuated and an installation unit (40) to which a vacuum pump can be connected. To be able to generate an external vacuum, the vacuum drawer comprises a connector part (41) which is releasably connectable to the installation unit (40) (FIG. 2).

The present invention discloses a household vacuum sealer and a bag-cutting sealing method. In the household vacuum sealer, at least one cutter device is slidably mounted on the upper hood, a heat-seal bar and an evacuative groove are arranged at the front side of the upper portion of the lower hood, the upper hood or the lower hood is provided with a bag receiving chamber, a detachable automatic rollback shaft is rotatably mounted in the bag receiving chamber, the elastic rollback mechanism for automatically rolling the rollback shaft back and the elastic unidirectional locking mechanism for locking the automatic rollback shaft are mounted at the end portion of the automatic rollback shaft; the cutter device protrudes from a bottom surface of the upper hood, and the cutter moves at one side of the heat-seal bar or one side of the evacuative groove back and forth after the upper hood is locked onto the lower hood, for cutting off the bag pressed tightly between the upper hood and the lower hood. The present invention has a simple structure since the bag is cut at the original heat-seal bar or the evacuative groove of the lower hood, which is more convenient. Subsequent to cutting off the bag, the vacuum packaging bags are automatically rolled back after the hood is opened, which reduces the number of operation steps for the user, and exhibits ease and quickness of operation.

The current invention covers an improved meat-packaging procedure and machine for packaging meat cuts for long-term storage at temperatures of between 28 and 42 F. The process includes sealing meat cuts or full poultry birds or bird pieces within a master bag containing (i) oxygen scavenger materials capable of reducing the residual oxygen content of the atmosphere within the bag to 0 ppm within 96 hours of sealing, and (ii) a CO2 generator capable to generate CO2 in the amount of at least 100 mL per pound of meat or poultry within 7 days of sealing. Gas is injected into the master bag to form a CO2-rich storage environment of at least 50% CO2. Depending upon the gas-volume and oxygen scavengers design in the master-bag to maintain diffusion, the CO2 generators may not be needed in the master-bag. The over-wrap of the meat or poultry trays, if meat or poultry are packed in trays, can be perforated so that gas exchange occurs within the master bag between the interior and exterior of the meat tray to absorb the residual oxygen inside the meat trays. For meat trays containing meat with poor color stability, oxygen scavengers are preferably placed within the meat trays. For cuts with good color stability, the oxygen scavengers may be placed outside the meat trays. Meat can be stored by this system for up to 10 weeks and up to twelve days of retail display life. Poultry can be stored for 28+ days by this system. Poultry can be treated with PAA or without PAA and can either be air-chilled or water-chilled with or without PAA: in both instances substantial shelf-life extension is obtained. PAA treated poultry tend to show high microbial growth when compared with non-PAA treated poultry.

The embodiments herein provides a method of processing to enhance the stability and increase the shelf life of made tea. After procuring the tea from tea gardens and tea estates with the defined characteristic parameters the tea is stored in cold storage. Processed by sorting, grading and filtering out the impurities in the dehumidified environment. Based on projections and order flow the raw materials are treated, blended, vaccumized and nitrogen flushed, in a dehumidified environment and sent for order fulfilment. For packing the graded and stored tea is packed in teabags. The teabags are put in laminated pouches followed by which the pouch with teabag is subjected to gas flushing. The pouches comprising teabags are heat sealed. This innovation is a combination of storage method and packaging technique.