Cheese packaging vacuum seal

[Soconina]

Hello,

I just started my cheese company and I am looking for ways to package my soft and semi soft cheeses. My cheeses are vegan, so I don't use unpasteurized milk. Could I vacuum seal the Roquefort? It is made from cashews. How do you package yours? For the hard cheeses I thought I should go with vacuum seal. For the soft and semi- soft cheeses, I have looked into modified atmosphere packaging, but it is out of my budget for the moment. Thank you in advance!

[Myhealthybody]

Just purchased some cashew blue style cheese from Frauxmagerie on Georgian Bay. They vaccum packed it and its lovely.

[Soconina]

Thank you for your answer. I am now trying to figure out how long I can keep it in vacuum.

[5ittingduck]

Depends on the cheese, but I have hard cheeses in Vac Packs going back 5 years now.

[estherlabran]

Great question.

You are right to be cautious. For soft and semi soft cheeses, even the dairy free ones, a proper hard vacuum seal is a bad idea. Take all the oxygen out, and soft cheeses just don't like it. That lack of air can actually encourage the wrong bacteria, mess up the texture, and shorten the shelf life. Not what you want.

So you are on the right track with modified atmosphere packaging. But you don't need to break the bank. Try these instead.

A soft vacuum, sometimes called pulse vacuum. Lots of home vacuum sealers have a pulse button. You just press it in short bursts. Takes out the extra air without crushing the cheese. Leaves a little bit of oxygen for it to breathe.

Or just use a plastic container. An airtight one. Simple, cheap, works a treat. Keeps your vegan Roquefort fresh without any of the risks.

For the basic bits, a starter sealer or containers, you can sometimes find them on McGrocer when you are ordering your other essentials. Otherwise, a quick search online for "pulse vacuum sealer" should set you straight.