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Oxygen Absorbers for Dehydrated Food

Use oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food when you're ready to store your vacuum-sealed dehydrated fruits and/or vegetables.

300cc Oxygen Absorber Pack

Why is that? Well, if you're interested in storing food for the long term, make sure to add oxygen absorbers inside your dehydrated vacuum-sealer bags BEFORE sealing them with your FoodSaver machine or (whichever brand of vacuum-sealer you purchased).

Oxygen Absorbers for Dehydrated Food:
Life Support for Jars, Bags, Bins, and Buckets

Now that was a bit of a tongue-twister!

Remember: tuck a 100cc oxygen absorber inside the vacuum bag JUST BEFORE you vacuum seal it, or drop an oxygen absorber in the mason jar just before screwing on its lid.

If you're using a small (half-pint) jar, use a 50cc oxygen absorber. For quart-sized jars, use a 100cc oxygen absorber.

Use Various Sized Oxygen Absorbers for the Right Application

These little oxygen absorbers are readily available in different sizes, such as 50cc, 100cc, 300cc, and 2000cc. The reason for different sizes depends upon what size container your dehydrated foods are placed in.

If you're using a small (half-pint) jar, use a 50cc oxygen absorber.

For a quart-sized jar or vacuum bag, use a 100cc oxygen absorber (shown in my images).

For a 10" x 14" Mylar bag, use a 300cc oxygen absorber (very top photo).

For storage bins or buckets, use a 2000cc oxygen absorber (not shown).

Read more about different oxygen absorber sizes here.

Click the RED WORDS to see the Oxygen Absorbers on Amazon.com

PackFreshUSA: 200 Pack - 50cc Oxygen Absorber Packs - Food Grade - Non-Toxic - Food Preservation - Long-Term Food Storage Guide Included

50cc Oxygen Absorbers

• PackFreshUSA Oxygen Absorbers
• 200-Pack
• Food-Grade, Non-Toxic

13%

Oxy-Sorb 100cc Oxygen Absorber Packets, 100 Pack - Long Term Food Storage Freshness Protection

$14.99 ($0.15 / Count)

100cc Oxygen Absorbers

• Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
• 100-Pack
• Long-Term Food Storage Freshness Protection

Oxy-Sorb 60-300cc Oxygen Absorbers for Long Term Food Storage (Bags of 20), ‎300CC-S20-3PK Blue

300cc Oxygen Absorbers

• Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
• Bags of 20 (60 Count total)
• Super Effective for Dried Goods

2000cc Oxygen Absorber - Pack of 10

2000cc Oxygen Absorbers

• Oxy-Sorb Oxygen Absorbers
• Pack of 10
• I use these for airtight bins and buckets

* As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.

Pink Pill = GOOD

Blue/Purple Pill = BAD!

When the 100-pack of oxygen absorbers arrives, BEFORE OPENING IT or putting it away,
immediately check for the little pill in the bag.
It MUST BE PINK.
If it's BLUE/PURPLE...
that's not good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pill turns BLUE/PURPLE when the pill has absorbed oxygen, therefore telling you that the contents of the shipment are probably no good. So before you OPEN that shipped package, check for a pink pill. If it's blue/purple, return that shipment unopened for a replacement order!

Blue/Purple Pill =
NO GOOD!

The photo shows the pills that have turned from a very definite PINK to an almost blueish-purple color.

This indicates that the oxygen absorbers contained in the bag are highly likely "no good."

Pink Pill = GOOD

Blue/Purple Pill = BAD!

When the 100-pack of
oxygen absorbers arrives,
BEFORE OPENING IT
or putting it away,
immediately check for
the little pill in the bag.
It MUST BE PINK.
If it's BLUE/PURPLE...
that's not good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pill turns BLUE/PURPLE when the pill has absorbed oxygen, therefore telling you that the contents of the shipment are probably no good. So before you OPEN that shipped package, check for a pink pill. If it's blue/purple, return that shipment unopened for a replacement order!

Blue/Purple Pill =
NO GOOD!

The photo shows the pills that have turned from a very definite PINK to an almost blueish-purple color.

This indicates that the oxygen absorbers contained in the bag are highly likely "no good."

Create 5 Bags - Each Containing 20 Oxygen Absorbers
for Dehydrated Food Protection

If the pill is good, I'll open the new 100-pack bag, and take out 5 brand new quart-size vacuum-sealer bags. I then place 20 oxygen absorbers from the 100-pack bag into each of the quart-size vacuum-sealer bags and immediately vacuum seal them all.

This means I now have FIVE quart-size bags with 20 oxy-packs in each of them. The pink pill from the original bag can go into one of the five bags—no need to throw it away, we can use it up!

The reason for splitting them up is we don’t want to open and seal the original big bag over and over just to take out one or two oxygen absorbers. Doing that would soon ruin all the other oxygen absorbers (by air infiltration) before we even get a chance to use them!

Cut Just Below the Old Seal

When I'm ready to use an oxygen absorber, I simply cut along the bottom of the seal at the top of the bag, as shown here, by the white dashed line.

Cut as straight as you can and as close to the old seal as you can—then I remove as many packets as I need and put them in the dehydrated food bags that are waiting to be vacuum sealed.

Coming up are notes about resealing bags. Keep scrolling...

Re-vacuum and seal the bundled oxygen absorber bag (see photo above) after taking out what you need.

I can re-seal one of the oxygen absorber bags about four times... and if I've any remaining packets and the bag gets 'too short' to reseal, I'll put those remaining packets into a new bag and vacuum seal it!

Common Uses for Oxygen Absorbers in Home Kitchens

Oxygen absorbers are commonly used in at-home food storage and preservation for the following reasons:

• Removes oxygen - They absorb any residual oxygen left in packaged containers, creating an anaerobic environment that inhibits food spoilage.
• Prevents oxidation - Absorbing oxygen prevents oxidation that leads to loss of nutrients, color changes, rancidity, and growth of aerobic bacteria. This prolongs shelf life.
• For dry foods - They prevent stale flavors, bugs, and rancidity in stored grains, beans, dried fruits, nuts, coffee, spices, and other dry goods.
• In Mylar bags - Oxygen absorbers are often used in Mylar bags to remove oxygen when packaging bulk foods for long-term storage.
• Dehydrated foods - They help retain nutrients and prevent oxidation in dehydrated fruits, vegetables, and meats.
• Environmentally friendly - Oxygen absorbers reduce food waste by keeping home-preserved foods fresh for longer periods.

How Do You Know When Foods are Sufficiently Dehydrated?

Linda recently posted on our Facebook page with this question:

"Hi, I am dehydrating items for a backpacking trip. I have some rice with Alfredo sauce going and was wondering how you know when things are dehydrated enough. I don't want to make anyone sick with my food."

Hey Linda! First off, are you dehydrating the items separately, or as one whole meal? I hear you regarding not wanting to get sick! If you're dehydrating "as a whole meal", you'll need to keep your eye on the sauce's "dryness," and then you should be good to go. Why?

Well, as you can imagine, rice doesn't have/hold much water compared to a 'sauce.' When it comes time to vacuum-seal your rice and Alfredo sauce mix, make sure you add in an oxygen absorber so it can do its job.

Also, it's always a little 'touch and go' when drying two vastly different foods at the same time. If you're only going on a short trip, this method should work out fine for you.

Thanks for stopping by to learn about oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food usage and why there are different sizes. Questions? Write to me here.

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Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.

Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."

She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.

Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!

Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.

Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!

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