Oxygen Absorber – 500cc – 20pk

About Sagan Life® Oxygen Absorbers for Food Storage

Oxygen absorbers are widely used to store daily life sustaining food for food storage, such as rice, beans, flour, grains, oatmeal, cereals pasta, instant potatoes and even spices, candy, medicines and pet food. They help maintain the original taste, flavor, color, and nutritive value of food to keep food fresh for long periods of time. Oxygen with food causes food to break down and lose nutrients and supports contamination such as mold and bugs. Oxygen absorbers, when used correctly, effectively eliminate the oxygen and protect perishables from these effects long term.

Why should you have a long term food storage?

Storing food for a rainy day is nothing new. Not all foods can be stored long term but most important is to store foods your family will eat. If you don’t eat rice, don’t store rice. Food storage can be used for difficult times like loss of a job, food shortages, emergencies when you can’t go to a store, survival. You don’t have to be a “prepper” to be wise enough to store a little food for the rainy day. Not having a little food storage means that you go without when the difficult day comes and try to find food with everyone else. FOOD STORAGE IS FOOD INSURANCE!

How to use Oxygen Absorbers in Sagan Life AquaBricks

The AquaBrick is a 3 gallon container. Depending on the food stored, the amount of oxygen in the container varies. For example, rice has less air in a container than pasta. You need anywhere from 300cc to 500cc (cc stands for cubic centimeters) per gallon depending on the food stored. You can’t have too many oxygen absorbers but you can have too little. That is why we only offer the 500cc option, to take the guess work out of it. Simply use 1 500cc absorber per gallon, or 3 per AquaBrick. It is best separate them out as you fill your AquaBrick. 

There is a PINK indicator dot inside each package of absorbers. Pink means the absorbers are good to use. Once opened, the indicator dot will turn purple almost immediately. This is normal. Use the absorbers within an hour. If you don’t use all the absorbers and you want to save them for use later, put them in a closed mason jar with the indicator dot. The dot should turn pink again after 2-3 days. If it does not turn pink, the absorbers were not sealed well and should be thrown out and new absorbers used.

Foods that Need Oxygen Absorbers

This list is not extensive but is a start. You may need to do some research on a specific food that may not be listed here. Use absorbers when storing foods like: pinto beans, red beans, rice, flour, flax meal, instant mixes, powders, coffee beans, pasta, cereal, instant potatoes, oatmeal and dried corn.

Foods that DO NOT need Oxygen Absorbers 

This list is not extensive but is a start. You may need to do some research on a specific food that may not be listed here. Foods higher in fat like brown rice, beef jerky, nuts or granola, baking soda, baking powder, dehydrated foods like dried fruits, dehydrated eggs, sugar, brown sugar,  salt, tomato powder, carrot powder, and cocoa powder, pet foods.

Foods that don’t use oxygen absorbers are not meant to store long term and need to be rotated and used. Putting these foods in the AquaBricks will help keep them fresh and protected from rodents and pests but they need to be used according to the manufacturing best by dates. The only exceptions to this rule is sugar and salt. Both of these items do not expire and can be stored long term with out absorbers.

How to Prepare your AquaBrick for Long Term Food Storage

The AquaBrick® is the best stackable food storage container that hold about 20 lbs of food when used as a food storage container.  The “bricks” are airtight and make ideal long-term food storage containers. AquaBrick® bulk food storage containers are stackable in a variety of configurations so they easily fit into any emergency storage area, in a closet or under the bed. These portable food storage containers are ideal for preparing your own bulk food storage for emergency preparedness. They are also great as pet food storage containers.

Features:

AquaBrick® Uses: Emergency Preparedness Water Storage Containers, Food Storage, Dry Storage, Camping, Hunting, Fishing, Picnics, Boating/Kayaking, 72 Hour Emergency Kits, as an Ice Block, Ammo Storage, Document Storage, ATV/Pack, Horse Storage Pack, and many other uses.

Recommendations:

Long Term Food Storage: Rinse the brick out with warm water and let air dry completely (up to 2 days). Fill with grains, rice, beans etc. Follow food storage guidelines using oxygen packets. Tighten lid. Label the cap with what is stored in the brick, date sealed, how many lbs of food is in the brick and expiration date of food stored. Do NOT put any food storage container directly on cement. Cement leaches into containers so put a piece of plywood, carpet, 2×4 wood etc between the brick and the cement. Recommended stacking height is 1-8 bricks high.