Mylar/Oxygen Absorber Supplies

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Double R

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For those that use Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers where do you get them from? What’s your experience with them?
Is thicker Mylar necessary?
Are all oxygen absorbers created equal?
Our plan is to use both Mylar and Canning jars with our freeze dried foods depending on what we’re packaging and how fast it will be used. Would also like to use Mylar for bulk items (not freeze dried) in buckets etc.
Tips and tricks appreciated!
Thanks everyone!
 
I prefer getting them from the people who make them... I've done business with all 3, been a few years, might have to check the links.

Sorbent Systems – Manufacturer, Mylar bags. L.A. They produce 70% of the foil bags at the grocery store. They also manufacture quality mylar bags for long term food storage. For the past 20 years their products have been retailed by LDS centers and just about anyone else on the net dealing with food storage. They also make a great sealer for their bags.
http://www.sorbentsystems.com

US Plastic Corporation – Manufacturer, anything from food grade buckets, containers, water tight lids to… Oklahoma
http://www.usplastic.com

Desiccare – Manufacturer, Oxygen and Moisture Absorbers. near Meridian MS
Desiccare, Inc.Desiccare, Inc.
 
I've purchased from Sorbent systems several times over the years. All their bags are first class. I have one of their heat sealers too, still going strong. Once I got a close out deal that was great.

The best deals are at US Plastics. They used to sell production over runs for half price. Haven't ordered in at least 6 years but I check their website occasionally.

I've purchased twice from Dessicare a decade ago but came up with a poor man's way to seal grains in pure nitrogen gas. Don't need oxygen absorbers. I usually get my grains right out of a combine in the field. Modern combines monitor grain moisture content continuously. Under 12% is fine.
 
Peanut, what is the ratio required for food storage? If I was using a 1 gallon bottle to store rice or beans how large an oxygen absorber would I have to include in the bottle? Does the ratio change for different foods? I would understand a difference depending on the size of the container.
 
Morgan101 said:
Peanut, what is the ratio required for food storage? If I was using a 1 gallon bottle to store rice or beans how large an oxygen absorber would I have to include in the bottle? Does the ratio change for different foods? I would understand a difference depending on the size of the container.
Click to expand...

I found the following years ago... I've seen similar documents before. I suggest searching for more up to date info.


Nitro pack Oxygen Absorbers 500cc Size - 100 Pack

How Many Oxygen Absorbers Will I Need?

The number of oxygen absorbers required varies by: 1) the "cc" size of the Oxygen Absorber packet you are using, 2) the volume of the container, 3) the altitude of where you are and, 4) the density of food item you canning. Since we offer the 500cc absorbers packets (the best size we have found for covering most dry food canning projects) we will use this size for our examples.

The 500cc size oxygen absorber will absorb 500+ cc of residual oxygen in a sealed container. A resturant size #10 can (5/6th of a gallon in size) holds about 13 cups, or very roughly 3300cc of air. The Air you and I breathe everyday is approximately 21% oxygen (the residual is about 75% nitrogen which has long been the preferred nuetral atmosphere for long term storage (thus 'nitro-packed') and a few lesser known gasses like argon). So that empty 3300cc #10 can has about 683cc of oxygen in it. If you take a full cup of beans it takes about 0.375 cups of water to bring the water level up to the top of the cup. This to be true with most whole seeds including wheat and rice. This figure is important because it also tells you how much air is in the can when it is full of these foods - 37.5%.

With a #10 can full of beans, wheat, etc., you now have about 256cc of oxygen left in the can. If you are canning a powder you probably have less air than this but foods like macaroni would have more. By doing the math, you can see that one 500cc absorber easily do the job, in fact is a bit of overkill but it is better to error on the side of safety to ensure all the residual oxygen in the container is removed. In addition, there is an extra margin of safety built into each absorber. They are actually designed to absorb more than twice as much oxygen as what they are rated for.

How Many Oxygen Absorbers Do I Need for A 6 Gallon Plastic Bucket?

A 6 gal bucket holds 22,740cc of air. Going through the above calculations, a full 6 gallon bucket of grain or beans has about 1791cc oxygen left inside the container at sea level. You will need 3-4 of oxygen absorbers if you are packing your food at sea level to about 4,000' elevation, and just 2-3 for 4,000' to 7,000' elevations. Our packing facility is at 6,000 feet so there is only an equivalent of 1484 cc of oxygen in the thinner air. Again, because our oxygen absorber's are significantly over rated for their absorbing capacity, we only use two 500cc absorbers in our food buckets as they will absorb more than twice their rated capacity. It is NOT HARMFUL if you use more than what is required
 
Basic oxygen absorbers from just a few years ago were iron shavings sealed in perforated paper. As Iron rusts it forms iron oxide. It literally absorbs oxygen from surrounding air to form rust.

I'm sure the current ones have other ingredients but any one can make the basic absorber. Somewhere I have a step by step guide. It must be mis-filed somewhere in thousands of other prepper type documents I have. I just looked for it, not where it's supposed to be.
 
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I have ordered from ebay in the past but I would get small amounts to test. If the product held up I knew that was a good seller (normally they have websites you can buy direct from too).

I recently bought 5 gallon bags from Packfresh. I liked them. I prefer the 1 gallon size but I had some wheat in bulk and needed a bigger bag. You can get Packfresh directly from their site or Amazon.

You can also get mylar from Azure Standard.
 
I have had pin sized holes appear in thinner mylar. If you have anything with any sharp points, know that this could be a problem. I really now prefer using 1/2 gallon sized jars for storing dry goods. Yes, they are more expensive, can break, and take up space, but I like how they work for storing food. I am more likely to use them in my pantry, but I have some of them in LTS (long term storage).
 
I was really thinking jars as well originally for the stuff out of the freeze drier. It appears that that’s a viable option for things we will use shorter term. As long as they stay cool and dark. I even saw a video where they said you don’t need oxygen absorbers if you vacuum the air out of the jars. I’m sure there will be a learning curve but I do prefer jars over bins of bags.
 
Peanut said:
I got my grain mill there also. I think I got my seed oil press from them. I've never had any issue with orders at Pleasant Hill. I'd definitely buy from them again.
Click to expand...
Good to know! Thanks! I've seen a few things that are on our list (once we save back up from the freeze drier and accessories expenses) that I want to purchase from them.
 
I just checked PH, my oil press isn't listed. It came up on an internet search at Lehman's but that's not where I got it. It's called a Piteba Oil Press, a small hand crank unit. Sunflowers are easy to grow and a renewable source of cooking oil. That's my plan anyway.
 
Oh a seed oil press!!! Man just when I think I'm getting ahead, I realize how far behind I am !
 
Ordered from pack fresh and finally had to call today. Still no shipment. No order confirmation email or anything. Can’t get into the account to check the order. It acts like an account was never created. Also my order appears to have been lost. Not sure if that’s in their system or on someone’s desk. The lady I spoke with will be getting back to me tomorrow when she hears back from the office. From all the background tv noise and cell interference on her side I’d guess she’s working from home. Pretty disappointed it hasn’t even shipped yet. Quickly running out of oxygen absorbers and mylars. Hopefully this lady gets it worked out tomorrow.
 
No reply back yet today from packfresh. Called and no answer but the message gave a number to text. Text and no response yet. Very disappointed at this point. Going to look into other places listed above and get an order in. Going to be tough now. Most likely will have to stop freeze drying for a while. I’m sure there’s delays with most companies right now.
 
Sigh.
It’s now after 5pm. Meaning Packfresh is closed for the day. Tomorrow I will cancel the order. Maybe send an email this evening stating i want my order canceled. I just wanted an update since it’s past their time line they state when ordering and I haven’t even received an order email. I have an order number so clearly it was successfully submitted. I received a reply text at 4 saying she was driving and would get back to me. I truly hate remote working these days. There’s only 1 customer service agent it appears. That seems odd. She was nice when I spoke to her yesterday but there’s been no follow up. Now we’re headed into Friday which means even a new order with a different company won’t make it out till next week. Grrrrrrrrr
 
7:30pm. No update from the Packfresh representative. I text back stating I will call tomorrow to cancel my order (at this point its after business hours) as I haven't gotten any updates etc the entire order time and now. I have yet to receive a response. Maybe I'm wrong but I would have expected an update within 24 hours of requesting one via phone. Especially when she said I would get one today.
Interestingly all of a sudden the shipping tracking number that hadn't updated since label created on the 12th has now updated and says it's arrived at the main hub which means it will in theory be delivered tomorrow. Glad I had snagged the tracking number before the page expired online. Just very disappointed in this company. Went with them after good feedback on them and also that I try and support companies in our state who sell made in USA products.
 
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