A new item has appeared in retail catalogs that promises to extend the life of your foods through vacuum technology. You place breads, fruits or other food items inside the container, close the lid, and a small pump works to remove the air from the chamber, thereby reducing the oxidation of the foods and extending their shelf life. This is how it's described, anyway. Real-world tests show the unit to be something very different (keep reading).
For this review, I purchased an "Auto Vacuum Food Fresh" machine and set it up on my kitchen counter. I placed some
grapefruit inside the unit, plugged it into the wall and closed the lid to see what would happen. A small pump began operating, apparently removing air from inside the unit. After a minute or two, the pump stopped automatically and the lid was, indeed, somewhat sealed. To test the seal, I opened the lid and heard the sound of air rushing back into the container. This was an indication that some air had actually been removed by the pump.
The balloon test
To test the unit further, I partially inflated a small balloon then placed it inside the container with the grapefruit. Since the pressure of air inside the balloon is fixed at atmospheric pressure, once I closed the lid the balloon should have expanded as the air was removed from the chamber. In reality, I found that the size of the balloon hardly changed at all. This indicated that
the air pressure inside the chamber was not much different from the air pressure outside the chamber. (My guess would be no more than a 10 - 15% drop in air pressure, but that's just a guess.)
Or, to put it another way,
the chamber certainly was not a vacuum. A vacuum is, by definition, empty of everything (including air). But my simple balloon test revealed there was plenty of air inside the Auto Vacuum Food Fresh device. The pump, it seems, isn't very strong. Yes, it removes a little bit of air from inside, but nowhere near all of it. Certainly not enough to consider it a complete vacuum.
This made me wonder what the effect would be on storing foods. So I left the grapefruit inside the chamber and waited a few days.
You can read the rest of this
review, complete with photographs showing the problems with the device, by visiting
http://www.NaturalNews.com/PhotoTour_Food_Fresh_1.htmlThis review is part of the
NaturalNews "Phototours" feature that brings you photographic tours of interesting items. Another Phototour available right now shows you how to harvest
aloe vera gel from a live aloe plant. To see it, visit:
http://www.NaturalNews.com/PhotoTour_Aloe_Vera_1.htmlNaturalNews will be publishing more Phototours in the weeks ahead.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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