What is Freeze Drying?

Freeze drying or lyophilization is a three-step process that preserves fresh foods by removing most of their moisture content. Freeze-dried products include ice cream, emergency food, nutraceuticals, fruits, vegetables, pet food, and more.

What is Freeze Drying?

It’s a highly popular and the best method to preserve food and even pharmaceuticals. While freeze drying can be performed at home, outsourcing your needs to a company that has the equipment and technology to do it will ensure the best results.

How Does Freeze Drying Work?

The freeze drying process involves three stages — freezing, sublimation, adsorption — and takes about 20-40 hours to complete

Freezing Phase

In this stage, the product will be completely frozen using IQF. This keeps the ice crystals as small as possible to preserve the integrity of the product.

Primary Drying Phase (Sublimation)

This is when ice changes to vapor while skipping the liquid phase. In other words, the ice evaporates without first becoming water. At the end of this step, over 90% of the water in the product is sublimated.

Secondary Drying Phase (Adsorption)

During secondary drying, the remaining water molecules from the product are removed by lowering pressure and applying heat. Once this process is completed, the final freeze-dried product has now only 1-4% moisture.

The Benefits of Freeze Drying

Why is freeze drying foods worth it?

Superior product quality

Compared to foods dehydrated by other methods, freeze-dried foods maintain their freshness, flavor, taste, and color without the use of preservatives. They also keep their aroma and shape. And perhaps the most important thing for health-conscious consumers is that they won’t be worrying about lost nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber.

Wide range of products for various customers

Easy handling and storage

Because freeze-dried products become lighter in weight, they’re easy to package and transport. At Empire Freezing & Drying, we carefully seal your freeze-dried items in containers to protect them from moisture and spoilage. That way, you’ll have a robust supply of foods and drinks that will last for years.

Reduces food wastage

With increased product shelf life, you no longer have to worry about food waste, which concerns restaurants, supermarkets, and consumers. Food waste negatively impacts the environment by contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Freeze drying can be one of the best solutions for food waste reduction.

Popular Foods You Can Freeze Dry

The good news is that we can freeze dry almost anything, including custom products.

Why Choose Us for Your Freeze Drying Needs?

How we can best serve you.

Safe and Quality Products

Our goal is to provide customers with safe and clean freeze-dried foods that are ready to be used. Rehydrate your freeze-dried foods with warm or hot water and they’ll return to their original appearance. You’ll be surprised that they look as good and taste as delicious as they were before they were freeze-dried!

Diverse Range of Industries

Because we can freeze dry a wide range of products, we’re able to serve businesses within the restaurant industry, health and fitness industry, meal kit industry, pet food industry, and more. Envisioning an amazing product but not sure if we’re the right fit? Get in touch

Innovation and Development

Don’t have a product yet? We have a team that can work closely with you to create custom delicious and healthy freeze-dried recipes. We put our customers at the center of our business, and that means we’re committed to helping you succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are common questions and answers relating to freeze drying.

Does freeze drying extend shelf life?

Since freeze-drying eliminates nearly all moisture in food, food can store for over 20 years without deteriorating. Your freeze-dried foods will remain flavorful and nutritious. The only thing that reduces their shelf life is when you open their container, which exposes them to air and moisture.

Does freeze drying destroy nutrients?

No. In fact, only 3% of the nutrients is lost from freeze-dried foods, which is a negligible amount. This is especially true with fiber and antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, and grains. However, if you like, we can fortify your freeze-dried products with protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and live cultures.

Do freeze-dried foods need refrigeration?

There’s no need to put freeze-dried foods and liquids in a refrigerator to last long. Not just that, but these items consume much less space!