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Oxygen Absorbers for Dehydrated Food

Today, I want to show you how to use oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food.

300cc Oxygen Absorber Pack300cc Oxygen Absorber Pack

Are you ready to store your vacuum-sealed dehydrated fruits and/or vegetables? Good. but first, here are some questions:

TOP Frequently Asked Questions:

What are oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food?

They are little packets that we tuck into our food vacuum-sealer bags before drawing out the air.

They are available in different sizes, and below these FAQs, you'll see what size you need for the size of container you're going to use.

Where to buy oxygen absorbers?

I get mine from Amazon. Why? Because of their fast delivery, plus, they wouldn't be allowed to sell them on Amazon if they sold "duds."

Having said that, you can (and should!) return a "stale" package if it arrives with a PURPLE-colored pill inside it. That "freshness indicator pill" should still be PINK upon arrival.

What foods need oxygen absorbers?

Use oxygen absorbers for these types of dried foods:

  • Dried beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas
  • Wheat, rice, oats, barley, other grains
  • Pasta, dried potatoes
  • Flour, sugar, salt
  • Nuts, seeds
  • Dried fruits
  • Dehydrated vegetables
  • Coffee, tea
  • Jerky
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Processed snacks (crackers, chips, trail mix, etc)
  • Dog/pet treats and kibble
  • Baking ingredients (baking soda, powder, yeast, etc)

Our dried food items need to have a very low moisture content to prevent our oxygen absorbers from getting overwhelmed. Absorbers also require an airtight environment to work properly. They help regulate oxygen and condensation for a good balance.

So any dried goods destined for your pantry - or emergency food storage - benefit greatly from oxygen absorber usage before sealing them away, significantly lengthening their freshness.

Oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food?

Yes, using oxygen absorbers tucked inside our food vacuum sealer bags before drawing out the air protects our dehydrated food from mold and moisture for a longer period of time than without them!

Copy/Screenshot This Below and Print It Out for Future Reference:

Use These Sizes of Oxygen Absorbers for These Container Sizes:

Use These Sizes of
Oxygen Absorbers for
These Container Sizes:

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 going to be placed in.

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

For a quart-sized jar or food vacuum sealer bag, use a 100cc oxygen absorber.

For a 10" x 14" Mylar bag, use a 300cc oxygen absorber.

For storage bins or buckets with lids, use a 2000cc oxygen absorber.

Read more about different oxygen absorber sizes here.


The page you are reading now is
ONE of the most IMPORTANT
pages on Easy Food Dehydrating

The page you
are reading now
is ONE of the most
IMPORTANT
pages on
Easy Food
Dehydrating

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 have).


What is Inside an Oxygen Absorber and How Do They Work?

Oxygen absorbers are made of iron powder combined with salt. When exposed to oxygen, the iron oxidizes, effectively removing oxygen from the enclosed space. They are necessary for the following reasons:

  1. Slow oxidation - Oxygen accelerates food spoilage. Removing oxygen drastically slows rancidity, mold growth, and insect infestations.
  2. Moisture regulation - Iron oxidizing creates a small amount of heat that helps remove moisture condensation, keeping food crisp. Less moisture also inhibits mold as stated in #1.
  3. Storage life extension - With both oxygen and moisture minimized by our oxygen absorbers, the shelf life of sealed dried foods like grains, beans, nuts, and snack items is extended several years longer than without.

While air-tight containers alone help, adding oxygen absorbers provides an extra level of protection by actively targeting the main causes of food deterioration: oxygen and moisture.

Oxygen Absorbers for Dehydrated Food:
What I Call "Life Support for Jars, Bags, Bins, and Buckets"

Remember: Tuck a 100cc oxygen absorber inside the food 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) Mason jar, use a 50cc oxygen absorber.

For quart-sized Mason jars, use a 100cc oxygen absorber.

REMINDER: Why Use Oxygen Absorbers?

The Oxygen Absorbers protect our dried foods by removing oxygen, and help deter insect damage. Using them extends the shelf life of our dried food by preventing mold growth, eliminating the need for commercial additives such as BHA, BHT, Sorbates, etc.

The oxygen absorber packets are non-toxic - which is good to know - as they are in direct contact with our dried foods!


Oxygen Absorbers at Amazon

PackFreshUSA: 200 Pack - 50cc Oxygen Absorber Packs - Food Grade - Non-Toxic - Food Preservation - Long-Term Food Storage Guide Included
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
Oxy-Sorb 100cc Oxygen Absorber Packets, 100 Pack - Long Term Food Storage Freshness Protection13%
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
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 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 with no price increase to you. Read disclosure here.


If your oxygen absorber pkg has a pink pill = goodClick to see bigger.

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.

Pink Pill = GOOD

Blue/Purple Pill = BAD!

If your oxygen absorber pkg has a pink pill = goodClick to see bigger.

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 order unopened for a replacement!

If your oxygen absorber pkg has purple pill = badClick to see bigger.

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."

Blue/Purple Pill =
NO GOOD!

If your oxygen absorber pkg has purple pill = badClick to see bigger.

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 (from a 100-pack)

If the pill is good i.e. "pink," 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.

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!

This means I now have FIVE quart-size bags with 20 oxygen absorbers 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 reuse it until it turns purple!


Oxygen absorber packs with the pink pill - when resealing, cut DIRECTLY below the seal so there's still room to reseal it!

Cut Just Below the Old Seal

When I'm ready to use an oxygen absorber, I simply cut directly beneath the old seal at the top of the bag (shown as a dashed line at the top of the bag in the photo above).

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. Then reseal that package.

Because you're cutting off the top seal each time and then resealing at the top again, you will be moving farther down the bag, if you will. What I'm prattling on about is if you just just cut the bag willy-nilly, you're wasting the bag and resealing possibility. Heck, if there's a long way of describing an easy step, I'll find it! LOL

When that resealing job is done, you're good to carry on with vacuuming your dehydrated food goodies. Don't forget to add the dang oxygen absorber in the bag before vacuuming... (Yep, it happens).


100cc oxygen absorbers being re-vacuum sealed

Reseal Opened Oxygen Absorber Bags ASAP

Re-vacuum and seal the 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

I use oxygen absorbers for dehydrated food storage for the following reasons:

  • For dry foods - Oxygen absorbers prevent stale flavors, bugs, and rancidity in stored grains, beans, dried fruits, nuts, coffee, spices, and other dry goods.
  • In Mylar bags - I use oxygen absorbers inside 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 I Know When My Sauce is Sufficiently Dehydrated?

Linda posted this question on our Facebook page:

"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! I hear you regarding not wanting to get sick!

When dehydrating the sauce, spread it out on a fruit leather tray on the dehydrator... dry it like a fruit leather. When it's dry, peel it off the tray and roll it up. When out and about, add enough water to reconstitute the sauce in a saucepan over heat.

As you can imagine, rice doesn't have/hold much water compared to a 'sauce.' I assume you're taking along with you "cooked" rice. If so, simply vacuum-seal it when it's cooled down to room temperature.

Add in an oxygen absorber to both the sauce and rice packet(s) so it can do its job before vacuum-sealing.

If you're 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.