Making Own Mre Type Vacuum Sealed Food Pouch

[stateman]

Does anyone have any experience or resources in making MRE type sealed food pouch?

The vacuum part is simple. But i believe they use some kind of inert gas trapped inside to keep food longer.

For semi commercial quality, I am thinking of a chamber to 'hold' the inert gas. The sealing will be done inside the chamber.

For vacuum I am thinking about a vacuum pump pulling suction on the sealed chamber.

These are the mechnical part which are doable.

Commercial MRE says they use triple layer plastic sheets. That should not be a big issue. I imagine starting with a relatively thick plastic sheet and improve on it by using multiple layers if need to.

The part I am not familiar with is the type of gas to use. Don't know if such gas is available commercially.

Interested in experimenting with storing food for a long term.

[LeungKen]

Pardon my ignorance but what are MRE's ?

[Tywais]

Pardon my ignorance but what are MRE's ?

Meal, Ready to Eat - military food packs

From wiki, the humorous side.

Some of the early MRE main courses were not very palatable, earning them the nicknames "Mr. E" (mystery), "Meals Rejected by Everyone", "Meals, Rarely Edible", "Meals Rejected by the Enemy", "Morsels, Regurgitated, Eviscerated", "Meals Refusing to Excrete", "Meal, Ready to Excrete", and even "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians"

[Tywais]

For the OP > http://science.howstuffworks.com/mre3.htm

[JetsetBkk]

Does anyone have any experience or resources in making MRE type sealed food pouch?

The vacuum part is simple. But i believe they use some kind of inert gas trapped inside to keep food longer.

For semi commercial quality, I am thinking of a chamber to 'hold' the inert gas. The sealing will be done inside the chamber.

For vacuum I am thinking about a vacuum pump pulling suction on the sealed chamber.

These are the mechnical part which are doable.

Commercial MRE says they use triple layer plastic sheets. That should not be a big issue. I imagine starting with a relatively thick plastic sheet and improve on it by using multiple layers if need to.

The part I am not familiar with is the type of gas to use. Don't know if such gas is available commercially.

Interested in experimenting with storing food for a long term.

I used to use those machines many years ago for making packets of bacon. No inert gas was used then - just suck all the air out (vacuum gauge to judge when that had happened) and heat seal the opening.

[bino]

For the OP > http://science.howstuffworks.com/mre3.htm

Had a laugh reading the "How does it taste" section of this site. Seems that they have a sense of humor;

In other words, if you grew up like a lot of Americans, eating casseroles, Hamburger Helper and lots of prepared foods out of a can or a jar, then an MRE is a completely normal, completely acceptable meal for you. If, on the other hand, you are the sort of person who prefers a salad of mixed greens with essence of cranberries effused in a vinaigrette dressing, along with a filet topped with a caramelized red onion glaze, baby carrots and angel hair pasta on the side, finishing with a strawberry sorbet and mixed fresh berries for dessert, then the MRE menu is unlikely to suit you. Of course, given all that, it is unlikely that you will enjoy any part of the military experience…

Edited December 8, 2007 by bino

[Ulysses G.]

Pardon my ignorance but what are MRE's ?

A REAL man would know!

[stateman]

LeungKen " Pardon my ignorance but what are MRE's".

Sorry LeungKen, I meant to type "Meals, Ready to Eat" when I was drafting. But somehow I forgot.

For the OP > http://science.howstuffworks.com/mre3.htm

Thanks Tywais. Will check it out.

I used to use those machines many years ago for making packets of bacon. No inert gas was used then - just suck all the air out (vacuum gauge to judge when that had happened) and heat seal the opening.

Are your referring to " FoodSaver" or compact appliance like that?

I have occasionally used those too. Got one at home.

Wish to learn more about the high quality process which can store food for years like the military MRE. (BTW the topic title came out as Mre, I guess I missed the cap key. )

Taste-wise, I like them. I think I can eat them continuously for a period of time. I heard some poeple can't stand them. Maybe nowadays the taste has improved quite a bit (from what I have read, it used to be really bad.)

I typically keep some at home, just in case....

Prior to Y2k, these were selling really well. Lots of people store them just in case..

[pete_r]

FWIW, the common gas to use is nitrogen (N2). It should be available in Thailand from the suppliers of gas cylinders (O2, CO2, He, etc).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_atmosphere

[stateman]

FWIW, the common gas to use is nitrogen (N2). It should be available in Thailand from the suppliers of gas cylinders (O2, CO2, He, etc).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_atmosphere

Thanks pete_r. That makes sense!

In the US I think the gases you mentioned are all readily available in these stores.

In Thailand I wonder if other gases besides O2 and CO2, and maybe Nitrous Oxide (the last one for dental use) are readily available. I can't imagine who would buy them?

[Tywais]

In Thailand I wonder if other gases besides O2 and CO2, and maybe Nitrous Oxide (the last one for dental use) are readily available. I can't imagine who would buy them?

In Chiangmai most common gases are readily available. We use large amounts of Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen and smaller amounts of argon, xenon, helium (pure) and a few others. We use high purity nitrogen 99.95% for our research ion implantors and lower quality for our pneumatic valve systems. Nitrogen is also used in TIG arc welders so easy enough to get. The H2 and O2 are heavily used for our fuel cell research work.

[stateman]

In Chiangmai most common gases are readily available. We use large amounts of Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen and smaller amounts of argon, xenon, helium (pure) and a few others. We use high purity nitrogen 99.95% for our research ion implantors and lower quality for our pneumatic valve systems. Nitrogen is also used in TIG arc welders so easy enough to get. The H2 and O2 are heavily used for our fuel cell research work.

Gee, good info!

Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it.