Mylar bags are a unique form of vacuum-sealable metalized container. As with regular vacuum bags, they have an inner layer of safe food polyethylene approved by the FDA. The polysilicon material has a low melting point, and closing the bag airtight can be temperature-sealed. Fused to the poly sheet surface is a nylon coating that serves as a substantial barrier to soak-through oxygen (a much more significant barrier than cotton). When placed on heat, nylon cannot seal, but the poly-nylon pair is heat-sealable and completely oxygen-free. What makes Mylar’s bags stand out is the third layer of thin, flexible metal fused outside the nylon layer.
Mylar bags are the best choice in storing foods free from oxygen and rot throughout many years. They also provide an optimum barrier against humidity and any vapors present in the storage environment, such as possible fuel vapors.
The Use of Mylar Bags
Mylar Bags form a barrier between the surroundings and the food. Mylar bags are used to line specially formulated buckets and containers and allow your food purchase to be stored in the best condition, of course, with the presence of appropriate oxygen absorbers.
All Mylar bags are designed to be heat sealed along with the zip lock bags and stand-up pouch bags. Just choose the appropriate size of Mylar bags, bins, and absorbers (basing on the amount of food and how much you can store at a time) and heat seal it. Once you open the Mylar bag inside the food-grade container, place the appropriate food content in the bag, add the oxygen absorbers necessary for storage, heat up the top seal, package it, and label it.
Things to Consider when buying a Mylar Bag
There are many possible applications for Mylar containers, oxygen absorbers, and silica gel dehydrants; and ensuring that you purchase quality containers, absorbers, and dehydrants is vital to your storage needs. There is also a great deal of range when it comes to Mylar bags with several stores selling thin foil bags like Mylar bags.
Thickness and weight of the Mylar material
Of those looking to reach the most extended shelf life, 7.5 mils (heavy duty) 1-gallon Mylar bags are the better all-around option, but 5-mil bags are just as fine. In every case, the thickness (mils) of the Mylar materials used in making the bag and the bag’s size is best determined by the type of food being packed, the puncture-resistance needed for the contents. The sealing system to be used and the reliability required for the expected handling, transport, and storage system to be used.
Type or size of the Mylar bags
When it comes to storing food, the medium weight 1-1/2 quart ziplock-style Mylar bag is the most convenient type to use. To families and those with young children, 1-1/2-quarter ziplock-style Mylar bags are safer to handle. The leaks are less likely because it is easy to close the bag once it has been opened. But, relative to the equivalent time required to carry food in a larger container, and the pound-to-pound the expense of packaging food, these 1-1/2-quarter bags are more comfortable to use, although more costly.
Filling and closing a Mylar bag takes about the same amount of time, regardless of the thickness of the container. Although smaller bags are easier to handle, they do represent a more time-consuming packing process. However, this may not be a problem unless you are packing a large quantity of food.
Read More: 8 Reasons Why You Should Use Reusable Shopping Bags!
The style of Mylar bags
When ordering Mylar bags online, you can note that there are different niche package choices in addition to the regular Mylar envelope (pocket). Most people find these improvements unnecessary, though. To avoid confusion, below are the different varieties of Mylar bags to choose from.
- Gusseted Bag.
Many that find themselves alone in doing the packing process usually use a stack of books or a bucket to support one side of the bag as it is packed. Since the regular Mylar bag is just a box, it does not stand upright for packing. But for those who are not happy with this approach, the gusset bags are built with a flat rim, so that they can be loaded more quickly without a brace or a supporting hand. The downside is the added expense and the fact that these bags have external heat-sealed seams, and the seams are a weak point in the Mylar bag design. Nevertheless, such leakage is impossible.
- Ziplock-style bag.
This type of Mylar bag is an example of brilliant design that is not fully executed by most manufacturers. Unfortunately, all of these Mylar bags do not have enough space above the ziplock to secure the pocket without compromising the ziplock. Fortunately, there are a few suppliers who have it right, but most do not – so the buyer should be cautious in choosing this type of Mylar bag. It would be a nice feature if the manufacturer would design a bag with at least 1-inch of sealing space above the ziplock closure. However, most people find that this type of bag’s additional cost is unnecessary for routine packing. It is a noteworthy feature, and it may be worth considering.
Consider this option if your food supply includes many different types of food, and you are likely to open a range of food bags to facilitate variety in your diet. Being able to reseal the bag will prevent you from getting spills and help keep ants and insects out.
- Tamper Resistant Ziplock / aka Security Bags.
Close but a much better build than the regular Mylar zip-lock containers, they are made with a pre-sealed zip-lock cover, with the bottom left open for packing. When the bag has been packed, the base is heat-sealed like a traditional Mylar container. This style gives the best of all worlds, but it is more costly.
- Textured foil-channel vacuum bags.
Designed for use with vacuum sealing devices, this design combines the Mylar coating benefits with the additional benefit of vacuum packing.
When storing your food for an extended period, Mylar bags would be the most convenient and certainly the best.
