Yogurt is a popular dairy product with many health advantages. Although milk’s nutritious benefit is well-recognized, normal milk that has been taken directly from the cow has a short shelf life. In addition, some people are allergic to one or more components frequently present in milk. Yogurt can be an alternative for people who love dairy but are lactose intolerant, and freeze drying yogurt is also one way to make it last longer.
Can You Freeze Dry Yogurt?
Yes, yogurt can be freeze dried, along with other dairy products like kefir and cheese. This can be done in its original form (as yogurt cultures or kefir grains) or as snacks that are made from fully prepared yogurt and kefir products.
Yogurt is just one of the many foods that can be freeze-dried. You can freeze dry a variety of other foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and sauces.
Is Freeze-Dried Yogurt Healthy?
Yogurts with less or no sugar are widely available, delicious, and healthier for overall health. Aside from controlling your sugar consumption, they’re also easier to freeze dry unlike high-sugar yogurts that do not freeze dry well.
Sugar makes freeze drying difficult since sugar binds to water. In addition to harming freeze-drying, consuming too much sugar harms our health. So, it’s best to choose yogurts with minimal sugar content for freeze-drying for the healthiest option.
Processing yogurt or any type of food this way can sometimes raise the question of whether freeze-drying kills bacteria. It is important to remember that freeze drying is primarily a food preservation method and not a food safety process. However, it does preserve the healthy probiotics naturally found in yogurt!
How to Freeze Dry Yogurt
Yogurt is an excellent food choice to freeze dry into tasty snacks, such as freeze-dried yogurt bites or cubes. These are ideal for children and can be made using various colors, shapes, and flavors. The process is fairly simple:
- Place the yogurt into a piping bag or plastic food bag.
- To create a hole for piping yogurt, cut one corner or end of the bag.
- On the freeze-dryer tray, drop circular pieces of the yogurt the size of a nickel.
- Enjoy bite-sized freeze-dried yogurt melts for you and your family by placing them in the freeze dryer!
If piping yogurt sounds like too much work, then you may spoon the product into silicone ice cube trays to freeze. It’s also possible to fill trays with yogurt; you can just break up the yogurt sheet once dried. Keep large pieces for snacks or smash-up freeze-dried yogurt into powder. This can be rehydrated later.
How Long Does It Take to Freeze Dry Yogurt?
Yogurt typically freeze-dries between 24 and 48 hours. Therefore, while attempting to freeze-dry this dairy product for the first time, it’s best to check after 24 hours as more or less time may be needed, depending on the result.
How to Reconstitute Freeze-Dried Yogurt
To reconstitute freeze-dried yogurt, simply hydrate it with water. It’s preferable to start with powdered yogurt and gradually add water until you reach the desired consistency.
Yogurt cultures must be reconstituted using a more complex technique. You must calculate the amount of water to add by comparing the pre-freeze-dried weights and volumes to the post-freeze-dried weights and volumes if you want to reconstitute your yogurt precisely to the level they were at before you freeze-dried them.
How Long Does Freeze-Dried Yogurt Last?
If properly preserved, freeze-dried dairy products can survive up to 25 years or more.
This is because the process of freeze drying results in an increased product shelf life. It eliminates the concern that restaurants, retailers, and customers have about food waste. Food waste has an adverse effect on the environment since it increases greenhouse gas emissions. And one of the finest methods for reducing food waste is through freeze drying.
Summary
Freeze drying dairy products like yogurt makes them easier to enjoy at your convenience. Whether you want to prepare them for your kids, as a health food, or simply as an alternative to milk, freeze drying can make them last longer while maintaining their nutritional value.
Freeze drying can be done for any food business that requires better storage and food preservation. If this is something you’ve been considering, let us know at Empire Freezing & Drying by contacting 973-649-9800 or info@empiredrying.com.
