What are shrink bags for storing cheese and how to use them?

foto50759-1 Cheese packaging is extremely important. It creates not only an aesthetic appearance, but also protects the product from the harmful effects of the environment.

The modern packaging business offers a diverse range of products. Each of them has its pros and cons.

For example, shrink bags for storing cheese. More on this later in the article.

Content

What is it and what is it for?
The best manufacturing companies
How to use shrink bags?
Conclusion

What is it and what is it for?

Shrink bags are one type of cheese packaging designed for ripening and storage. The bags are made from multilayer film based on polyamide, polyethylene and other materials that comply with the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union “On Packaging Safety”.

In other words, manufacturing materials must be safe for the environment and human health.

Shrink packaging performs three functions. Among them:

Protective. Cheeses “love” cleanliness. It is the film that protects the product from adverse environmental factors, such as dust, dirt, mold, and harmful bacteria.
Technological. The ripening process of cheeses continues for a long time. Depending on the variety, the period can range from three weeks to two or more years.
The bag provides the necessary level of humidity and temperature, prevents the crust from drying out, and preserves the taste and aroma. By creating optimal conditions, the bag helps the cheese to ripen comfortably.
Aesthetic. The range of packaging materials is large and varied in colors.Almost the entire color spectrum is used to attract customers. Attractive packaging gives cheeses individuality and brand recognition on the market.

Moreover, storing cheeses in shrink bags is not only hygienic, but also convenient. They can be stacked on top of each other, both in industrial settings and in home dairies or at home.

The name of the packages was not chosen by chance. It is under the influence of high temperature that the bag contracts and tightly fits the head of cheese, expelling all excess air.

The peculiarity of shrink bags is that they release carbon dioxide, which is formed during ripening, and do not allow oxygen inside. Bags come in high, medium and low gas permeability. The choice depends on the type of cheese.

The best manufacturing companies

Many companies in all countries of the world are engaged in the production of shrink bags. Most of these are large enterprises with a branch network. They offer a wide range of services to their clients.

Offers include both a ready-made range of products for every taste, as well as individual developments upon request. The most popular companies in their business:

Okhta Company, St. Petersburg, on the packaging market since 1998. It has its representative offices in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Samara and Saratov. Among the numerous products, shrink bags for ripening and storing cheeses are presented as a separate item. The website provides detailed information about the characteristics of the product and order conditions.
RisePack company Vladivostok, on the packaging market since 2014. It has a wide geography of supplies, including not only Russia, but Japan and South Korea.The company relies on production speed and prompt delivery. True, the range of shrink bags is currently presented only in a transparent version of different sizes. You can make a calculation and place an order on the website.
Tauras-plast, St. Petersburg, on the packaging market since 1998. The company works with clients on individual orders. There is a service for a technologist to visit production to select the optimal solution and formulation for shrink film. The website provides comprehensive information about the company and the services provided.
Kuban Flex Krasnodar is a young, ambitious company with its own warehouses in Moscow, Volgograd and Krasnodar, which ensures fast delivery of products within 48 hours. The company offers clients non-standard solutions, innovative high-tech materials, and an individual approach. Shrink bags are available for almost all types of cheeses: brined, moldy, hard/semi-hard with varying degrees of gas formation.

A special feature of the work of the listed enterprises is that they supply goods in large quantities, which is convenient and profitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Small private cheese factories and for home use will benefit from the range, conditions and prices on specialized online store sites.

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Also shrink bags can be purchased on marketplaces such as:

Wildberries;
Ozone;
YandexMarket and others.

How to use shrink bags?

Shrink bags are suitable for ripening and storing hard and semi-hard varieties. At first glance, it seems easy to pack a wheel of cheese into a bag. However, the process requires some skill.
It is important to follow the sequence of actions:
Prepare a wheel of cheese. The surface of the product must be dry, clean, free from damage and mold. If traces of mold are found, the affected areas are cleaned, washed well with 9% vinegar and thoroughly dried again.
Heat the water. The container is taken so that the entire head fits in. Bring the water to a boil.
Place the cheese wheel in a bag. Each head is placed in a separate bag.
Immerse the bag of cheese in a container of water for 3-5 seconds until it completely covers the product. It is important to maintain a balance: do not overexpose it and do not pull it out too early. Only experience and practice will help here. To avoid burning your hands, you can use special rubber gloves.
Pull it out. You can use your hands to expel the remaining air.
Tie the “tail” with wire, rope or other convenient means. Excess bag can be trimmed.
Regularly inspect cheese for mold. If it appears, you need to release the product from the packaging, clean off the deposits, wipe, dry and pack again.
To be sure that air will not get inside, you can use a vacuum sealer (purchased separately). Using this device, you first pump out the air from the package, seal it, and then place the bag of cheese in hot water to shrink.
The video will show you how to use a shrink bag:

Conclusion
Shrink bags are one of the options for modern, safe, environmentally friendly packaging for cheese. The bag shrinks in hot water and tightly fits the head of cheese.
Such containers protect the product from the negative influences of the external environment, preserve the taste and aroma, ensures further maturation.You can buy packages both from large manufacturing companies and on specialized websites and marketplaces.