Whether you are an avid fisherman or are trying to package fish for retail sale, you can benefit from using a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealers can dramatically extend the shelf life of fish by as much as 3 times or more and helps to prevent and cut down on freezer burn. There are a lot of machines out there, so which fish vacuum sealer should you buy? Here are a few tips that may help you out.

To begin with, you need to determine how much fish you will be packaging per day. If you are only packaging a few to a few dozen, an external sealer is probably all you need. If you are packaging a few dozen to a few hundred a day, you will probably need what’s known as a chamber vacuum sealer.

We have found that Minipack (made in Italy) produces some of the most reliable, effect and durable vacuum sealers. They make a wide range of vacuum sealers. Their sealers can be used to remove 99.9% of the air from a vacuum-sealing bag and they produce a durable seal that holds up well.

Here are some of the models I would personally recommend to our customers:

Best External Fish Vacuum Sealers

1. Minipack Cyclone 30 Vacuum Sealer – This sealer is extremely reliable, has a good track record and can easily package fish. It has a 13″ maximum sealing width.
2. Minipack Cyclone 40 Vacuum Sealer – This sealer is great for the packaging and sealing of fish. It has a 17″ maximum sealing width.
3. Minipack Cyclone 50 Vacuum Sealer – This sealer, much like the smaller Cyclone 30 and Cyclone 40, is perfect for packaging fish, meat, fruits and more. It has a 21″ sealing width.

Best Chamber Fish Vacuum Sealers

1. Minipack MVS 20 X Chamber Sealer – This sealer is a entry-level chamber sealer, but still features high-quality components and a great build. It isn’t as large as the MVS 31 X, but can still be used to package cut up fish.
2. Minipack MVS 26 X Chamber Sealer – This vacuum sealer features a nice 11″ x 16″ x 4″ chamber sealing area and is extremely easy to set up and use.
3. Minipack MVS 31 X Chamber Sealer – This chamber sealer is perfect for packaging fish. It has a 12.5″ x 9.5″ x 3.75″ chamber dimension that can easily handle a lot of fish.
4. Minipack MVS 35 X Chamber Sealer – This vacuum food sealer has both a great chamber width and height (13″ x 11.75″ x 7.5″). This can be used to package multiple pieces of fish in a bag.
5. Minipack MVS 45 X Chamber Sealer – This vacuum sealer is perfect for commercial packaging of fish and has a nice chamber area of 18.5″ x 16″ x 4.5″.

Each of these vacuum food sealers can be used to efficiently package fish and have been proven to have a great track record. I would personally recommend these sealers for anyone interested in packaging and preserving fish for either personal or retail use.

You can find our entire selection of vacuum food sealers here.  Feel free to ask our vacuum sealer specialists questions by calling 1-800-658-8788.

A customer recently asked me if it was possible to vacuum seal liquids in a bag for storage, mailing and retail purposes. The customer informed me that they thought it would probably make a huge mess. I let the customer know that it was not only possible, but a lot of people do it. I’ll explain.

To begin with, chamber vacuum sealers are frequently used to package liquids. Not only does it not make a mess, but it is also extremely easy to do. The end results look great and are completely airtight.

Our main chamber vacuum sealer manufacturer, Minipack, manufactures a special stainless steel angled base designed to keep a bag, containing liquids or powders, upright and supported during the sealing process. If you are ordering a machine, be sure to let us know that you are using it for liquids. This adjustable angled base can be later purchased if you already own a Minipack chamber sealer.

Trying to vacuum seal liquids using an external sealer, or a flat base chamber sealer, can produce some pretty messy results. If you already have a chamber sealer, and don’t have an angled base, you may still be able to vacuum seal liquids by using plastic blocks to support the bag during the sealing process.

Not all liquids, however, can be vacuum sealed. We had a customer a few months back ask us if we could vacuum seal wine. We had them send in some samples and we tried packaging the wine in some special Mylar vacuum seal bags. After a few days the carbonation caused the bags to expand to an unstable state. You will not be able to safely vacuum seal any carbonated liquids.

So why do people vacuum seal liquids? For one, it is fairly cheap compared to other containers. Secondly, because air is removed, the shelf life is significantly extended. Vacuum sealing liquids is also great for storage purposes.

You can find our entire selection of chamber vacuum food sealers here. Feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 to speak with one of our vacuum sealer specialists. They will be able to answer any questions you may have about vacuum packing liquids.

Looking for a reliable, high quality vacuum sealer that will stand the test of time? Vacuum sealers have the potential of extending the life of food by up to 3-5 times longer than unpackaged food.These machines can be used to package fruits, vegetables, meat and more.

The motors in vacuum sealers, especially chamber sealers, go through a lot of strain. Many chamber sealers can remove as much as 99.9 percent of the air. A cheap motor can quickly overheat, and after hours of use, can sustain serious damage.  If you are going to be packaging food on a regular basis, you need a sealer with commercial / industrial qualities.

Minipack vacuum sealers, both chamber and external, are considered to be some of the best models available today. These vacuum sealers are Italian engineered and built. The metal casing is extremely durable and the wire sealing components are tough.

One of the most differentiating designs found in the Minipack chamber sealers are the bins. The bins are made from a solid, seamless design, which is ideal for cleanup and sanitation. This makes Minipack chamber sealers ideal for packaging liquids, powders and other materials. We have even had customers use Minipack chamber sealers for vacuum sealing entire chickens.

Here is a list of some of the most popular Minipack models our customers like to buy:

External Sealers:

• Minipack Cyclone 30
• Minipack Food Vac
• Minipack Cyclone 40
• Minipack Cyclone 50

Chamber Sealers:

• Minipack MVS 31
• Minipack MVS 45
• Minipack MVS 45 II
• Minipack MVS 50

You will find our entire selection of Minipack Vacuum Sealers here.

We are proud to announce the addition of the Minipack Cyclone series of external vacuum sealers. This includes the Cyclone 30, 40 and 50. All three of these new sealers are very similar in functionality, with the biggest difference being the sealing width. The Minipack Cyclone vacuum sealers can be used to package food and other products.

Minipack is well known for their line of shrink-wrap machines. Their line of vacuum sealers are just as well designed and manufactured.

The Cyclone series of sealers are designed to not only last the test of time, but are also designed to be very easy to set up and use. Nobody likes having to tinker around with a machine to get it to work properly. The Cyclone vacuum sealers work well right out of the box.

You may find these three new sealers here:

• Minipack Cyclone 30
• Minipack Cyclone 40
• Minipack Cyclone 50

Vacuum sealers are a fast, effective and reliable way to package food. There are a lot of vacuum sealers out there. Which models are best for your home or business? This can be a difficult choice, especially with so many cheap “As Seen On TV” models and sub-par imported designs.

I will give you a few recommendations on vacuum sealers that have proven themselves to be reliable and have a good track record with our Service Department.

First of all, you should be aware that there are two different types of vacuum sealers. These two designs are:

External – External sealers are the most common in-home machines used today. They consist of a bag, used to hold food, with one open end. The open end is inserted into the machine where the air is removed and the bag is sealed.

Chamber – Chamber sealers are used for higher-volume industrial and commercial packaging. Food is placed in a bag, after which the bag is placed in the chamber. Air is removed from the chamber, the bag is sealed and the food is packaged.

These are my top 7 vacuum sealer recommendations based on customer feedback and track record. This includes both chamber and external designs:

1. Minipack MVS 31 (Inexpensive. Great for low to medium-volume use. Most popular model sold.)
2. Minipack MVS 45 (Wider chamber than MVS 31. Great for low to medium-volume use.)
3. Minipack Food Vac (Great for home and small-volume use.)
4. Minipack MVS 65 (Great for medium to high-volume use)
5. Aline AVS-20 (Great for medium to high-volume external bag use.)
6. Minipack Mini 2010 (Great for low to medium-volume home use & external bag packaging.)
7. Minipack MVS 50 (Great for medium to high-volume use)

You can find our entire selection of vacuum sealers here. Have a question? Leave me a comment.

Have you ever wondered how food is processed and prepared for the store? It may not be at the top of your list, but it is still very interesting. If proper care is not taken, food can easily spoil. Bacteria sets in and causes the food to rot. Rotten food is both tastes bad and can be dangerous. Rotten food can also cost stores a lot of money in lost merchandise. Several types of food preservation are available to extend shelf life. These preservation methods help eliminate and slow a variety of bacteria, fungus and more.

Salting food used to be widely practiced to help preserve meat. Food was kept outside during cooler times to preserve food. Refrigerators were later introduced to help slow down bacteria. Refrigerators can now be widely found in both stores and homes. Putting all food in refrigerators is expensive and not economical for grocery stores. Due to cost, other methods have been invented to help preserve food. One of the more popular methods is the vacuum sealer.

Vacuum sealers put food in an airtight environment that prevents bacteria and fungus from growing.
Vacuum sealers remove air and seal products in a bag. This eliminates the vital oxygen that most bacteria require to grow. The finished vacuum-sealed bag can then be placed on a shelf, hung on a wall or be put in a refrigerator for superior preservation.

Chamber sealers are one of the more popular vacuum sealers used by commercial producers of food. This style of sealer uses a chamber where the products and bags are placed. Air is removed from the entire chamber, including the bag and food, which creates a vacuum. The bag is sealed and the air inside the chamber is returned back to normal. Because the bag is previously sealed, the air inside the bag remains in a vacuum-like state. You can see an example of this by going here. The demo is pretty fun to watch.

Potato chips and delicate food such as crackers can be damaged if all the air is removed from the vacuum-sealed bag. For this reason, the amount of air removed from the bag can be adjusted. Nitrogen air tanks can be attached to most chamber vacuum sealers, replacing the oxygen with another gas that has better preserving properties. Although some bacteria do not require oxygen to survive, most bacteria are wiped out when the oxygen is swapped out for nitrogen.

You can see ABC Office’s entire selection of vacuum sealers by going here.