Long-term storage for oils and fats

[Nickelless]

Here are a couple thoughts I posted in the Survival Prep section on GIM that I'd like some feedback on with regard to oil/fat storage. I've lagged beyond on this in my preps, but now that (I hope) I'm figuring out to solve some problems with long-term storage, I'm going to ramp it up. Here's the original link for the tidbits below:

http://goldismoney2.com/showthread.php? ... ls-storage

I was browsing another site today trying to figure out a way to keep oil from going rancid in long-term storage, and I like one of the ideas that was posted and think I may be able to take the idea a step further. A suggestion was made to blast the inside of partially-full bottles of oil with compressed gas to help force remaining oxygen out of the bottle, then capping it. I'm thinking this is less than ideal just because no matter how quickly you get the cap on (never mind the potential for oil splatters), air will get back in the bottle. So I was tossing this around in my brain tonight and got to thinking about the mason jars of bacon fat I have in my freezer at the moment (with one jar at cool room temperature in my bunker that I plan to sample in about six months).

It occurred to me that since the real issue with rancidity is exposure to oxygen, even though air itself is only 21 percent oxygen, freezing bottles of oil (more on that in a moment) and after the oil is frozen putting small CO2 pellets inside the mostly-full bottles would essentially stop any further oxidation and subsequent rancidity of the oil. Then after maybe more time in the freezer, the bottles could be removed and stored at cool room temperature in a dark area of the bunker and likely stay non-rancid for a long time.

Now, as far as bottles for long-term storage, the bottles that cooking oil typically comes in (cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is my preference) really don't seem very airtight. As I was taking a swig from the water bottle I keep refilling every day at work, I thought that using half-liter or liter-sized water bottles (that nobody has drank out of) would be perfect. I'm looking for a cheap, used water dispenser anyway since 5-gallon bottles result in a lot less extra plastic for water storage than cases of half-liter bottles, but I can buy a case of half-liter bottles of water as needed, empty those bottles into the water dispenser, then fill the bottles with oil, freeze them, "bomb" them with CO2 pellets and have my oil ready for long-term storage as well. This might seem like a rather roundabout solution, but I think it solves a couple different problems.

Since the main factors in oil going rancid are light, heat and air, storing airtight containers in cool, dark places will take care of two of those three problems. Just how gas-permeable are, say, water bottles that they wouldn't be appropriate for long-term oil storage? And if the problem with such bottles is gas-permeability, why not vacuum-seal the oil-filled bottles in mylar to bring the problem with oxidation down to almost nothing?

If going through all of this sounds ridiculous, quite frankly I don't care how ridiculous it sounds if it stops oil from turning rancid. I wonder how many preppers will have far too little fat stored in their preps to meet the probable increased physical demands in an off-grid society.

And as an added facet of fat storage, I'm picking up another 15 pounds of soon-to-be-vacuum-sealed almonds tomorrow from Sam's Club.

[Devil Soundwave]

Not sure man, but sounds like the freeze/Co2 route could work.

You dabbled with powdered butter at all? Think I found canned butter online too - that'd be a good addition to your stores.

As for other fats, possibly an idea to plant some sunflowers in your yard - they give a good yield of fatty seeds so can be replanted and pressed for (small amounts) of oil in an emergency.

No worries about the seeds going rancid if you constantly keep some growing...

[Nickelless]

DS, I'm wanting to do a lot more volume than what I could get out of a patch of sunflowers. I'm going to keep on buying my fats and oils at this point and reserve my garden space for blueberry bushes around the edge of my backyard, a fruit tree or two in the backyard proper, and probably more that I just haven't figured out yet.

Here's a letter that was posted on Survivalblog a few days ago about how much fats/oils to store per person per month--at least three liters per person:

http://www.survivalblog.com/2011/01/let ... oil_1.html

Dear Editor:
There are many in the medical field who will dispute Dave the R.N.'s assertions in his recent post on fats and oils.

A recommendation that is more in line with the mainstream thinking is to store 3 liters (three quarts or approximately 90 ounces) of oils or fats for each person-month of preps.

The assumption is that everyday life will become intensely physical and a per-person calorie budget of 2,500 Calories (or more!) will be required. Three liters of oil will provide 30-35% of calories-from-fat which is consistent with mainstream wisdom. Other stored foods and supplementation with produced food might make some of the stored fats and oils a surplus. The surplus will be a valuable barter or charity item. - Joe H.

[PreservingThePast]

Nickelless.......you might want to do a lot more research on using plastic bottles in the freezer with oils inside of them. Not sure if anything in the plastic could leech into the oil or not. Also, the plastic bottles do become brittle eventually.

And, again, I was always taught that once some food item was removed from the freezer it needed to be cooked/consumed pretty quickly as freezing changes the molecular make-up of the cells of the frozen item.

Good Luck.

[Nickelless]

Nickelless.......you might want to do a lot more research on using plastic bottles in the freezer with oils inside of them. Not sure if anything in the plastic could leech into the oil or not. Also, the plastic bottles do become brittle eventually.

And, again, I was always taught that once some food item was removed from the freezer it needed to be cooked/consumed pretty quickly as freezing changes the molecular make-up of the cells of the frozen item.

Good Luck.

PTP, how susceptible would oils be to change if they were thawed from a frozen state since they are straight lipids and not cellular in nature?

[PreservingThePast]

Nickelless.......you might want to do a lot more research on using plastic bottles in the freezer with oils inside of them. Not sure if anything in the plastic could leech into the oil or not. Also, the plastic bottles do become brittle eventually.

And, again, I was always taught that once some food item was removed from the freezer it needed to be cooked/consumed pretty quickly as freezing changes the molecular make-up of the cells of the frozen item.

Good Luck.

PTP, how susceptible would oils be to change if they were thawed from a frozen state since they are straight lipids and not cellular in nature?

I have no idea. I just know what I was taught by my mom and grandmother and was taught at school in Home Economics. Check with your local home extension office at your agricultural center. They may have a lot of handy tips and ideas and it is a service provided to the tax payers.

Found this info online: http://tipnut.com/freeze-bacon-grease/

Can bacon grease be frozen? Yes bacon grease can be frozen for future use (just chisel or scrape off the amount you need and toss it in the pan). But unless you have a steady supply of bacon grease on hand that you can’t use up fast enough, I would just keep it in the refrigerator. Pour off cooled bacon grease into a thick glass jar or mug and refrigerate, topping it up with fresh bacon grease as you have it. Refrigerated bacon grease lasts for months and months with no problem. If bacon grease goes rancid, you’ll smell it–toss the lot.


Found this site too that has a lot of cool and different uses for bacon grease, including making fire starters.

http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2009/02/bacon-grease.html

[Rodebaugh]

Bacon grease in the freezer is a great idea. Bacon grease doesn’t actually “freeze” it just solidifies. So no/very little molecular change should occur.

PTP…you’re mom is right about items that contain water. The crystalline structure of freezing water acts as little spears and punctures cell membranes. That explains why Dave Thomas’s Cheeseburgers (god rest his sole) taste so darn good….always fresh never frozen.

Also why deep cold stasis for humans (Man I love sci-fi) would kill a person in real life w/o the presence of a biocompatible “antifreeze” in each cell.

How about canning Bacon grease and storing it in a cool cellar? What would it's shelf life be then?

[Nickelless]

Bacon grease in the freezer is a great idea. Bacon grease doesn’t actually “freeze” it just solidifies. So no/very little molecular change should occur.

PTP…you’re mom is right about items that contain water. The crystalline structure of freezing water acts as little spears and punctures cell membranes. That explains why Dave Thomas’s Cheeseburgers (god rest his sole) taste so darn good….always fresh never frozen.

Also why deep cold stasis for humans (Man I love sci-fi) would kill a person in real life w/o the presence of a biocompatible “antifreeze” in each cell.

How about canning Bacon grease and storing it in a cool cellar? What would it's shelf life be then?

I've put one half-pint mason jar of bacon grease unrefrigerated in my bunker, where it's about 60 degrees, and the rest are in the freezer at the moment. If the test jar tastes OK in about six months to a year, I'm going to move the other jars to my bunker as well.

[donarizona]

pressure canning in mason jars.

[Nickelless]

Wow, I'd forgotten about this thread, but here's a thread I started on GIM about sampling dehydrated mackerel after 2-1/2 years unopened in a mason jar in my deep pantry that makes me think oils will be OK in long-term storage as long as they're kept in non-porous, airtight containers:

http://www.goldismoney2.com/showthread. ... etty-tasty!

[donarizona]

Nickelless, You do know about oxygen absorbers? Designed primarily to prolong the shelf life of food, oxygen absorbers prevent the change of color in food products, stop oils in foods from becoming rancid, and prevent the growth of oxygen-using aerobic microorganisms such as fungi. Oxygen absorbers absorb oxygen and effectively reduce the aerobic environment to 0% oxygen. I would not think of preserving dry food without them.
Probably not what you would want with preserving oils and fats.
Good post on GIM.

[Nickelless]

Nickelless, You do know about oxygen absorbers? Designed primarily to prolong the shelf life of food, oxygen absorbers prevent the change of color in food products, stop oils in foods from becoming rancid, and prevent the growth of oxygen-using aerobic microorganisms such as fungi. Oxygen absorbers absorb oxygen and effectively reduce the aerobic environment to 0% oxygen. I would not think of preserving dry food without them.
Probably not what you would want with preserving oils and fats.
Good post on GIM.

Welcome to Realcent, Don! As I understand the effectiveness of O2 absorbers, they don't work well in a no-moisture environment. Having said that, though, my experience with them is that they are redundant if used in vacuum-sealed containers which would in effect contain almost no air itself and even less O2 in the air-free environment. Re my post on GIM, if food items are kept in an airtight container and the airtight seal is not compromised, residual O2 should not matter in most cases as long as there is no air moving into and out of the packaging. As I stated in my GIM post, given the oil content of mackerel, my experiment with the dried mackerel leaves me convinced that a simple airtight seal should suffice as long as all moisture is removed. The moisture is the much bigger issue with dried-food shelf life, not residual O2.

[donarizona]

"As I understand the effectiveness of O2 absorbers, they don't work well in a no-moisture environment".

O2 absorbers will create a vacuum so powerful they can collapse a 5 gallon plastic storage container. They leave a 95 percent nitrogen environment. If for no other reason i will use them because they eliminate almost all the air with the powerful vacuum. i have been throwing away food that has lost this seal after being stored for a few years. Forums like this one have educated me because there is so much to learn. Survivalprep is an excellent website. All those corn flakes and oats will get mealworms if 02 absorbers are not utilized. Maybe i am wrong. i have a lot to learn. Food for thought.

[frugi]

just to point out if you have any oils or fats that go rancid, dont throw them away, just yet, they can be used as fuel. I have some olive oil that has gone rancid while still in the bottle. I just labeled the bottle with a marker saying: not for food use, only fuel. That way in the even of SHTF scenario, I can use them to burn as fuel for a fire to cook or stay warm.

[Nickelless]

"As I understand the effectiveness of O2 absorbers, they don't work well in a no-moisture environment".

O2 absorbers will create a vacuum so powerful they can collapse a 5 gallon plastic storage container. They leave a 95 percent nitrogen environment. If for no other reason i will use them because they eliminate almost all the air with the powerful vacuum. i have been throwing away food that has lost this seal after being stored for a few years. Forums like this one have educated me because there is so much to learn. Survivalprep is an excellent website. All those corn flakes and oats will get mealworms if 02 absorbers are not utilized.

They'd have to either be present in the product when it's packaged or they'd have to find a way to compromise the product. I've got my bulk rice, beans, etc. vacuum-sealed in mylar, and I stick those bags inside 5-gallon buckets and make sure the lids are secure. If there are mealworms in the product when I open the bags months or years from now, I'll just let 'em boil in with the rice. That would probably be much less worse than some of the other critters we end up with in small amounts in our food.

[donarizona]

i do not mind the mealworms per se. I just feel dry food will keep more flavor and last longer with the absorbers with that strong vacuum. I tried some of my beef jerky stored 2 years using absorbers where the seal had recently broken. A small sample gave me the runs for couple days. The jerky where the seals were not broken the jerky was ok. In fact, when the jerky was placed the Arizona sun for a couple hours, it was even better than any store bought jerky.

[Nickelless]

i do not mind the mealworms per se. I just feel dry food will keep more flavor and last longer with the absorbers with that strong vacuum. I tried some of my beef jerky stored 2 years using absorbers where the seal had recently broken. A small sample gave me the runs for couple days. The jerky where the seals were not broken the jerky was ok. In fact, when the jerky was placed the Arizona sun for a couple hours, it was even better than any store bought jerky.

When you say that the seals had broken, had you vacuum-sealed them in mylar or some other non-permeable material? How did the packaging get compromised?

[donarizona]

Mason jars were used with the metal lids and absorbers. Over a hundred jars and only one leaked. Probably a slow tiny leak over many months. The top center of the lid had popped up and thats why I did not sample but a small bit. How long the seal had been breached I do not know for sure. Not over 6 months because I check them from time to time.
Putting jerky in a dehydrator with high heat for an hour freshens it up almost like new. Either that or in the sun.