Those packets that absorb gasses. Why don't they sell that material cheap, in packet form, that you toss into gallon ziplock bags? Why is that stuff so expensive? Marketing and all?
About talking freshness...if bags of lettuce and other like items are packaged using nitrogen, then why not advance that simple technology? A shot of nitrogen gas into a ziplock. No? lol.
And yes GC, a plastic pouch of peeled eggs sealed with nitrogen does last a month, if unopened.
After the nitrogen escapes, they spoil fast, of course. I even posted how the yolk starts forcing its way out the side of the egg after opening....if not wrapped tightly.. lol. Anyone figure out why that happens?
A nitrogen gadget. Do you think we might see that sometime on QVC? I do.
Nitrogen is heavier than oxygen and will force oxygen out of containers. Nitrogen, however is reactive with certain chemicals (all substances are chemicals, just so's you knows), which means that nitrogen will react with certain foods. It's better to fill airtight storage containers of wheat, for example, with nitrogen to purge oxygen, which is highly reactive, from the sealed can. There are fats in grains and veggies that will oxidize and ruing the flavors of foods. Also, plants usually have natural enzymes in them that cause them to self-digest over time.
Add to that microbes and most organic products, that is, Earth life forms, be they plant, animal, or other, spoil after harvesting.
Canning preserves food because it kills microbes, denatures the enzymes, and removes most of the air and oxygen, making the interior of the can anaerobic. However, certain spores need higher heat and acidity to destroy them, hence the need for pressure caners for low acidic foods.
Hope that explains things in a general kind of way.
Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
