A Freeze Drying Machine (Freeze Dryer) removes all the water from a product and nothing else. The product retains allmost all of it’s original nutrients, flavour and colour, making it obvious choice for quality production.
The key to successful Freeze Drying begins with the product selection process. While it is true that anything can be Freeze Dried, the better the initial produce, the better the end product. That is why we manage our own growing programs all over the world.
The products to be Freeze Dried are rapidly frozen to as low as -50ºC so as not to damage the often delicate structure of the item. This locks the water in the product in place ready for the next stage.
The frozen product is then placed in a vacuum chamber and slowly heated until a point known as ‘the triple point’ is reached. This is a point where water can only exist in two states, solid (ice) or a gas (water vapour). In this state over 90% of the water is vapourised out of the product while the majority of the nutritional value remains intact.
The final product is then packaged in air-tight containers where it can survive almost indefinitely until needed. The containers can be of any size or shape to suit individual production processes.
Dried foods have played a huge part in food preparation for centuries. Freeze Drying is still a relatively new technique for drying food, but the benefits are immediately obvious as the table below demonstrates
Traditional Drying Method Vs Freeze Drying Method
| Products darken | Natural bright colour |
| Products shrink | Retention of shape |
| Hard texture | Crunchy mouth feel |
| Flavour changes | Authentic original flavour |
| Flavour diminishes | Flavour remains |
| Limited shelf life due to moisture content | Long shelf life due to low moisture |
| Bulk density increases | Low density |
| Nutrients denature | Retention of nutrients |
Freeze-drying is a method in which water (or liquid) contained in food is frozen (or solidified) in the process of freezing, and is further gasified via sublimation as opposed to the evaporation that takes place in the normal drying process.
Normal drying -> Liquid water in food -> Evaporation
Freeze-drying -> Ice (solid matter) in food -> Sublimation
Gem Freeze Dryers come with the following Special Features
Vacuum Freeze Drying/Lyophilization technology is widely used in export oriented products such as –
Seasonal Vegetables: Red Onion, White Onion, Egg Plant, Beans, Green Peas, Bitter Guard, Drum Stick, Sweet Corn, Mushroom, Baby Corn, Lemon, Capsicum, Potato, Beetroot, Tapioca, Spinach, Fenugreek, Moringa Leaves, Coriander, Chilly, etc.
Tropical Fruit/Juices: Ripe/unripe Banana, Apple, Mango, Pineapple, Jackfruit, Breadfruit, Orange, Guava, Coconut (water/milk/grated), Noni, Acai, Mulberry, Blueberry, Sapota (Chikku), Peach, Avocado, Passion fruit, Guava, Papaya, Apricot etc.
Eggs: Hen, Duck, Quail eggs
Sea Food/Meat: Prawns, Shrimps, Crab, Oyster, Fish, Chicken, Meat, Beaf, etc.
All Pet Foods: Tubifex Worms, Insects, Chicken & Mutton products, etc.
Herbals/Herbal Extracts/Aromatic Herbs: Aloe Vera leaves/gel, Algae, Moringa leaves, Spirulina, Saffron, Mint, Rosemary, Goose Berry (Amla), Wheat Grass, Sena Leaves, Arjun Chal, Shatavari, Musli, etc.
Culinary Herbs: Oregano, Chives, Thymes, Sweet Basil, Parsley, etc.
Spices: Green pepper, Bell pepper, Turmeric, Curry, Green chili, Red chili, Cloves, Cumin, Garlic, Ginger, Cardamom, etc.
Sprouts: Gram, Sorghum, Mung, Soyabean, Peas, etc.
Flower Petals: Rose, Merry gold, Lotus, Jasmin, etc.
Dairy Products: Curd, Tofu, Paneer, Cheese, Milk, Colostrum, Ice cream, etc.
Tea: Leaves/concentrate & Coffee (beans)
Others: Sauces, soups, chutneys, nutraceutical products, medicinal plants/extracts, enzymes, papain, bacterial cultures, algae/spirulina, yeast, salts, insects, surgical sponge, natural colors and flavors, polymer processing, water based chemicals, steroids, pharmaceutical formulations, fresh seeds and instant/mountaineering/astronaut foods/war foods (veg & non-veg cooked items).
