Point me to the propper post if this has been discussed already.

For almost a decade I travelled with different Museum exhibitions installing and de-installing the heavy/fragile artifacts. During one specific exhibit we were installing Egyptian mummies. It was really amazing to do and had really great time working with the Egyptian currators that travelled with the show.

What I found out was they used nitrogen filled glass cases for all of their mummies. The nitrogen protected their bodies from insect and microbial attack. They claimed a 100% nitrogen environment is unlivable for any known animal. So what I'm wondering is; what are the, if any, limitations on using nitrogen to preserve grain or fruit or even meat? Will bananas stay green in a box filled with nitrogen? Will hamburger stay red and edible in nitrogen? I understand a fifth grade lvl of innert gases but am curious about what you guys might have to add. For all I know this is the way people are preserving their food stores now.

What do you guys think/know?