Lyophilization - The Freeze Dryer Driven Food Revolution

 

Ever since the dawn of time, people have tried to find ways to ensure that food remains safe to store and consume for the longest possible time. In the last few years, the revolution in long term food storage has been let by the process of Lyophilization. In this process, the food is frozen below its triple point and then dried through vacuum process to extract all moisture from food and disperse it elsewhere. This process is done to kill all bacteria and other microbes present in the food item. Once all the microbes are destroyed, the food spoilage process slows down to such an extent that it can be stored safely for very long duration of time. 

Three Step Process:

·        The first step in the process is to freeze the product at a very fast pace. Yatherm freeze dryer is specially prepared to ensure that no ice crystals are formed in the food which may risk insufficient drying activity.

·        The second step is to expose the item to a vacuum which is placed below the triple point of water to extract any moisture which may be left after the freeze steps. This leads to moisture becoming consolidated which is then ready for the next step.

·        Finally, the material is dried out through sublimation which leads to all the consolidated moisture content being sucked out of it and dispersed elsewhere. 

Key Features of Freeze Dryer:

Freeze dryer equipment is designed to be extremely user friendly. The device is equipped with digital PID controller and multiple validation ports. No CFC or HCFC is used in refrigeration to ensure that environment is not impacted at all. The devices have the capability to operate from below -40°C or -110°C temperature and operate in single and dual stage cooling. Devices are available in different ice capacities from 2 to 50 litres.

The machines are fitted with Temperature, pressure and time control system and handles both primary and secondary drying steps with ease. The body is built to resist any kind of corrosion. The display panel is also equipped with an audio-visual alarm system on its display panel for single point monitoring..

The Future of The Freeze Dryer:

The food industry has a bright future because despite all scientific process, there is no alternative to eating and many food items need to be shipped and stored for a long duration. Similarly, with growing economic power of people, choice and quantity of food demand is also expected to grow exponentially. People are looking for more internationally available food items and a global culinary palette is emerging.

This can only be satisfied by freeze dryers which will allow long storage and shipping of food. Lyophilization is a mature technology and can be scaled and adopted very rapidly. It has minimal impact on taste, shape, colour and texture of the food. Yatherm freeze dryer is a cost effective and highly durable product ready to match the growing demand of such products all over the globe. 

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