If you want to store food for a long time, then freeze drying is the smart way to do it. This method can save your food for months and even years. Are you a food manufacturer, distributor or emergency supply company? If yes then keep reading because this method is quite useful for businesses who want to extend the shelf life of food.
5 Simple Steps To Freeze Dry Food
Freeze drying locks the nutrients and extends the shelf life of food. For this, you need some equipment like a commercial freeze dryer, vacuum pump, blast freezer, moisture analyzer, food slicer and storage container. After that, you must follow the following five steps to freeze dry your food.
Prepare the Food
First of all, prepare the food that you want to freeze. That means, you can cut the food into small pieces. Keep in mind, you must always try to cut the pieces of the same size. As a result, your food will be dry and freeze evenly.
If you are freezing vegetables, then boil them for 1 to 2 mins. After that, put the boiled veggies in the cold water. This process will definitely lock the moisture and taste of your food for a long time.
List of Food Items That Can Be Freezed
- Strawberry
- Apple
- Banana
- Potatoes
- Blue Barriers
- Peas
- Corns
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Meat (Chicken, Beef, Mutton and others)
- Sea food
- Milk
- Some kind of complete meals (Spaghetti and others)
- Herbs
- Spices
- Cheesecakes
- Other kind of desserts
- Instant coffee
- Tea
- Special type of candies
List of Food Items That Factories Should Not Freeze
- Butter
- Fatty meats
- Oily nuts
- High sugar food (candies)
- Honey
- Syrups
- Mayyonies
- Jams
- Jellies
- Pure chocolate
- Meat with bones
- Coffee beans
Freeze Your Food
When the food is prepared,you should freeze it at a very low temperature (-40 degree or lower). Usually, liquid nitrogen is preferred to freeze the food fastly. But you can also use a big refrigerator. When the food is freezed, the water inside the food changes from liquid to solid ice crystals.
At this time, you can use a moisture analyzer for checking the moisture content of food.
Primary Drying (Sublimation)
After freezing, we recommend you to place your food inside a Vacuum Chamber. In the vacuum the temperature is raised slowly. During this procedure, the ice inside the food doesn’t melt into water. Because it directly turns into vapors. That’s why it is called the process of sublimation and it keeps nutrients safe.
Secondary Drying
If some amount of water is leftover in the food, then the temperature is slightly increased again. This process removes even the last drop of water. It actually makes sure that the food is now completely dried.
Finally, Store the Food
When all the steps are completed your food is ready to store. You can use airtight containers and bags for this procedure. You can also add an oxygen absorber in it. This will keep your food fresh by controlling air and moisture.
Wrapping It Up
In conclusion, we can say freeze drying food is a powerful preservation method. It offers your company long-term storage, lightweight packaging & high quality results for your customers. Hence, it is ideal for food producers, retailers and suppliers. If you invest in the right equipment and understand each step of the process, your business can easily achieve shelf-stable products.
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