The viability of long term storable foods is governed by four things. Knowing each of these things is crucial in obtaining the longest shelf life possible for the food you have put up for your family. This is especially true if you are just starting a food storage program.
The four critical factors are the temperature of the storage area, the percentage of moisture in the food, the atmosphere inside the storage container, and the storage container material itself. Let’s look at each of these factors.
1) Temperature of the Storage Area
The temperature of the storage area has the most to do with how long your stored food will last. Remember that food stored in a warm or hot environment will last only a fraction of the time it would in a cool, dry area. Store your food in the coolest area possible, but above freezing temperatures. An additional factor is that you want the storage area temperature to be relatively constant. Frequent temperature changes will also shorten the food’s overall life.
Remember to store you food in a cool, dry area with a relatively constant temperature.
2) Moisture Content of the Food
Foods with a high percentage of moisture can spoil in their containers. Usually, you want your storable food to have a moisture content of 10% or less. This may be hard to achieve without specialized equipment.
One option is to get freeze-dried foods, which are specially-prepared for this purpose. The moisture content of these foods has been taken care of in the preparation process.
3) Atmosphere in the Storage Container
Oxygen oxidizes many of the compounds found in food. There, foods packed in air will not store as well. Nitrogen is popular for storing food and it works very well. Another alternative is carbon dioxide.
Some people use oxygen absorber packets. Just place one in the storage container and seal. The one thing to remember is that the storage container must be able to withstand some vacuum pressure, as the absorber packet will create that as it absorbs the oxygen.
Food packed in nitrogen in #10 cans is a very popular choice for many manufacturers of long-term storable foods.
4) The Storage Container of the Food
Food storage containers should have a hermetic (air-tight) seal. #10 cans and sealable food-grade quality storage buckets work well for this purpose.
Again, an important factor in your storage containers is that they must be food-grade. Since #10 cans are popular for food storage, they often have an enamel lining which makes them suitable for this purpose. Also, food-grade plastic 5 gallon buckes are easy to obtain and a must for food storage.
If you buy commercially-prepared food units, the second, third, and fourth factors are taken care of by the manufacturer. However, you still want to store you food unit in a cool, dry, dark place, in order to satisfy the first factor.
If you decide to buy plastic buckets, add the food, and seal them yourself, you will need to rent a nitrogen cylinder to fill the airspace in the buckets. When you do this, the oxygen will be displaced leaving only the nitrogen. Make sure you purchase food-grade quality of buckets. This is very important.
Remember all these things when you are purchasing or creating a supply of food for your family.
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