The technology invented during World War II is still one of the best methods of preserving food. Eating a freeze-dried raspberry will give us as much energy and minerals as eating a raspberry picked a moment earlier from a bush. Interestingly, you will not feel much difference in taste either. How does it happen?

FREEZE DRYING – WHAT IS IT

Freeze drying (lyophilisation) is a process of removing water from a product by ice sublimation. How does it happen? First, the temperature inside a special freeze-drying machine drops to around -50°C. When this temperature is achieved, the pressure is reduced almost to that of outer space! Then ice sublimation takes place – the water contained in the freeze-dried product is removed thanks to the vacuum created. The next step is “drying” at a temperature of about 40°C. The product we get is called lyophilisate.

The manufacturer of lyophilisates describes in detail what lyophilisation is – https://frostx.com/pl/blog/tym-jest-liofilizator/

FOOD FOR ASTRONAUTS

Shortly after inventing this technology, it was used by the US military to transport blood plasma to the front; however, after the war, other uses were sought. During the next war – the cold war, food was a big problem for astronauts. In the conditions in which they had to live, food, above all, could not crumble. There was a risk that food items could end up in the machines, which could damage them. At the same time, it had to have a long shelf life and, of course, maintain its nutritional value. One of the best ideas turned out to be freeze-dried food, because it met all the above-mentioned criteria and was valued by “people of space”, among others, for its taste attributes.

ADVANTAGES OF LYOPHILISATION

Freeze-dried fruit, vegetables, meat and other products have a huge advantage over products that have been preserved using other methods. First of all – they do not need any additional preservatives, and yet they can outperform many products even preserved chemically. Their shelf life is up to several years! This is because the moisture in freeze-dried products is only 1-2%. What distinguishes freeze drying from standard drying using conventional methods is that freeze-dried food does not lose almost any nutritional value – vitamins, minerals and macronutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates or fats, remain at an almost unchanged level! In addition, the taste, aroma and even the look of such products is fully preserved, and the only thing that will differ is its consistency – a lyophilisate will have a form closer to a crisp, but after a while it will gain moisture and you will not notice much difference between it and the same fruit picked straight from a bush. You do not need specially prepared rooms to store lyophilisates. You don’t even need a fridge – all you need is a dark, dry place and an airtight container in which you can keep them (for example, a jar or a zip lock bag).

LYOPHILISATES – CAN THEY BE CONSUMED BY ANYONE?

Lyophilisates can be consumed by anyone – no matter if you are an athlete, a businessman or an accountant. However, we must admit that they gained more recognition in some spheres of life – for example as food for astronauts. This is quite an extreme example, but if we are talking about extreme situations, it is worth mentioning that freeze-dried products are one of the favourite foods for mountaineers. They take up the same amount of space as standard food, and weigh about 10-12 times less! Of course – they can also be useful when you are going on a long journey and you wish to make sure that your luggage is light.

LYOPHILISATES IN OUR PRODUCTS

Freeze-dried fruit e.g. freeze-dried strawberries or freeze-dried raspberries constitute an ideal ingredient for muesli with freeze-dried fruit – they do not deteriorate, even after long storage, and the addition of even a small amount of milk allows them to restore their original consistency!