A sort of panic hits you when you’re sealing food for long-term storage… “What if I put too many oxygen absorbers in my mylar bags?”
Adding extra oxygen absorbers to Mylar bags won’t hurt anything. They only remove the oxygen present, so once it’s gone, they stop working. Using more simply doesn’t increase effectiveness.
This is a totally legitimate question. It’s a very good question actually. And one of the biggest misconceptions in long-term food storage.
Let’s break this down, plain and simple.
Short Answer (TL/DR)
No, you can’t put too many oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags. Extra absorbers won’t harm your food or affect taste, they simply stop working once all oxygen is removed. However, using more than needed offers no added benefit and can be a waste of money.
What Oxygen Absorbers Do
Oxygen absorbers don’t work like magic, they are chemical reactions.
They remove oxygen from within a sealed environment by chemically reacting with the oxygen, typically done via iron powder oxidizing (basically rusting). After sealed in a Mylar bag, the oxygen absorbers will:
- Remove oxygen from the air inside the Mylar bag
- Decrement oxidization (from spoilage)
- Eliminate bacteria and insects
- Dramatically extend the shelf life of food items.
- 0% Oxygen = Decrease in rate of spoiling... it is that simple.
So, What if I use Too Many Oxygen Absorbers?
Using too many oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags isn’t harmful. They only remove available oxygen and then stop working. Adding extra won’t improve preservation, it just isn’t necessary.
Some of the things that will NOT happen when you throw in additional oxygen absorbers are:
- Over dry the food
- Crumble the bag (that is vacuum sealing… different)
- Change the taste or texture of your food.
The absorbers only absorb oxygen that is available in the sealed environment. Once they absorb their fill of the ambient oxygen, they will stop functioning. They will not remove anything else from the food.Excessive use of the product (without any ill effects…there are just a couple minor trade-offs) is not like too much salt; the product does not continue “affecting” outside of its intended purpose.
There Are Only Minor Negatives to Using Too Many
1. Wasted Money
Although oxygen absorbers are inexpensive, the cumulative cost adds-up when they are being used excessively, especially on a large scale.
2. Quicker Activation (Out of The Bag)
There’s a chance that each time you take out multiple absorbers at once, you will be activating them with air; therefore, the more absorbers you have, the more waste occurs if you don’t seal quickly.
3. No Increase in Shelf Life Benefits
Once the absorbers have absorbed all of the oxygen inside of a package, you cannot extend the shelf life by adding more absorbers.
How Many Oxygen Absorbers Do You Need?
Much like most questions regarding food storage, how many oxygen absorbers to use depends on: the size of the food package, and how much oxygen will be in the package with the food/oxygen absorbers.
1 Quart Mylar Bags = 100cc -300cc of oxygen absorbers
1 Gallon Mylar Bags = 300cc -500cc of oxygen absorbers
Agglomerate (low aerated) foods (rice, beans, flour) require the recommended amounts of oxygen absorbers.
Agglomerate Foods (pasta, snacks-gaps) require more than the minimum recommendation.
Tools to Find Extra Oxygen in Your Food Storage
Under certain circumstances it’s appropriate to use more than required:
1. Loose Packed foods (the voids are abundant);
2. In the Event the Sealing Process Is Not Perfect or There Is a Chance the Seal Is Bad;
3. Long-Term Storage (10+Years); and
4. Concerns With Humidity While Sealing.
Consider the use of “extra” oxygen absorbers as a cushion, not as a requirement.
Using an Oxygen Absorber will eliminate the air from inside of the plastic bag. The actual plastic bag keeps the oxygen out due to its ability to contain the oxygen absorber. If you would like to know how this works, it has to do with the construction of the Mylar bags and their barrier-layer construction.
What NOT to Do
If you are concerned about the possibility of doing something wrong, this is where most mistakes are made, and:
- Not Using Enough Oxygen Absorbers;
- Taking Too Much Time To Seal Bags (Absorbers Activating Early);
- Using Them When Storing High Moisture Foods (Botulism Risk); and
- Poor Quality Mylar Bags That Allow Oxygen To Re-Enter the Package.
The Last One Is More Important To The Whole System Than You May Think!!
Mylar bags block out oxygen, light, and moisture and work best with oxygen absorbers inside. If you are just starting to use Mylar for long-term food storage, here is a closer look at what makes Mylar a good choice for long-term storage.
Why Quality Is More Important Than the Quantity of Use
You can add as many absorbers as necessary, but if you are using a poorly designed bag, you are wasting your time.
Low-Quality, Thin Bags Will Eventually Let Oxygen Re-Enter the Bag. This Ruins the System.
Qualities of High-Quality Mylar Bags
1. Will Completely Block Light;
2. Will Prevent Oxygen Transfer;
3. Will Seal Enclosed With No Micro-Leaks; and
4. Will Last for Years (not months).
This Is The Area Where Most People Cut Corners and Are Paying For It Later!
Oxygen absorbers remove the air that is inside of the mylar bag; however, the quality of the mylar bag itself determines how well oxygen will be kept out long-term. When properly layered with the correct barrier layers, custom mylar bags and pouches prevent oxygen from slowly seeping back into the bag, which is essential for the long-term freshness of food and products.
Conclusion
You can’t really use too many oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags. They only absorb available oxygen, so extra won’t damage your food, it just provides no additional benefit.
Is it bad to use too many oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags? No, there is no negative or adverse effect. The only negative is that extra absorbers serve as an additional safety check.
The key is NOT adding excess oxygen absorbers but using the right numbers of absorbers, correctly sealing the bags, and using the best materials available!
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