- A thorough cleaning of raw materials to remove potential microorganisms and contaminants.
- Perform necessary pretreatment operations, such as peeling, slicing or cutting, depending on the type of food.
- The pretreated food is quickly lowered below its freezing point, usually in the temperature range of -30 ° C to -50 ° C.
- The use of liquid nitrogen or mechanical refrigeration system to achieve rapid freezing, to form a uniform fine ice crystal structure, reduce cell structure damage.
- Place frozen food in a low pressure environment, usually at a vacuum of 0.01 to 0.1 mbar.
- Using the principle of sublimation, the ice crystals are directly converted into water vapor and pumped away by a vacuum pump to achieve drying.
- Maintain a suitable temperature, usually between 20 ° C and 40 ° C, to optimize drying rate and quality.
- Cooling of dried food to prevent degradation of food quality due to increased temperature.
- Food packaging, the use of airtight materials and vacuum packaging technology to isolate air and microorganisms, to ensure long-term preservation of food.
With increasing consumer demand for healthy food, the freeze-dried food market is expected to expand further, especially in segments such as outdoor activities, emergency reserves and space food.
Continuous technological research and development is driving the improvement of freeze-drying technology, such as increasing production efficiency, reducing costs and optimizing product quality.
Freeze-dried technology has the potential to save energy, reduce emissions and use resources, and help achieve the sustainable development goals of food production.
With the globalization of the freeze-dried food market, the development and updating of relevant regulations and standards will have an important impact on the development of the industry.
