The importance of decompression in vacuum packaging

During the process of vacuum packing foods, the decompression or the entry of air into the chamber once the bag is sealed is a critical time. The burst of air that returns to the chamber can push the bag with too much force on the product, damaging the product or the bag, with the consequent loss of vacuum inside the product.

The new Sammic sensor SE vacuum packing machines feature  pulse-controlled decompression. Once the vacuum is made, the air returns to the chamber slowly. 

Sammic Sensor Ultra SU packing machines go one step further. They have a soft air inlet valve into the chamber for progressive decompression.

 

Both methods prevent perforating the vacuum bag where the products have sharp edges, thus guaranteeing optimum conservation. 

CHEF’S NOTE: Pulse-controlled decompression is ideal for the treatment of delicate products because it is vital that they suffer as little as possible during preservation and cooking.

Practical example: 

To cook these king prawns we have used the sous-vide cooking method because it is a technique which allows us to better preserve the fresh king prawns and at the same time achieves precise cooking in their own juice. For this, we cooked them at 75 ºC for 10 minutes.

  

For packaging we used the progressive decompression programme, allowing us to ensure that the vacuum bag doesn’t break or suffer holes due to the prawns’ spikes and antenna. This way, we achieved uniform cooking and an optimal result.

Related recipes:

Scarlet shrimp at 65ºC/149ºF with sauteed artichokes

King prawns with ginger and caramelised onion