The freeze drying process was actively developed during WWII for preserving medical supplies that required refrigeration. Since then freeze drying has been applied to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and the food industry among others. Freeze drying is now a standard process used to increase the shelf-life of milk products for the dairy industry.
Dairy Freeze Drying Process
Freeze drying dairy products uses a process called lyophilization to gently freeze the product, then extracted the water in the form of vapour using a high-pressure vacuum. The vapour collects on a condenser below the freezing chamber, returns to ice and is removed. A gradual temperature rise extracts all remaining 'bound' moisture from the product. This process retains the physical structure of the product and preserves it for storage or transport.
Advantages of Freeze Drying Dairy Products
With freeze drying, both solids and liquids can be preserved without damaging their basic structure. The natural colour, size, flavours, nutrients and consistency of the fresh product are retained. Freeze-dried dairy products don't require refrigeration or chemical preservatives and can be either consumed directly or re-hydrated easily. Freeze-dried dairy products are easy to transport as their volume and weight can be reduced significantly.
Regular drying methods have a major disadvantage as the high temperatures used can cause chemical or physical changes to the product.
For dairy products such as yogurt or cheese, this could render them inedible or affect the taste or quality of the end product.
Dairy Products Suitable For Freeze Drying
• Milk
• Cheese
• Cream
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Other freeze dried food
Applications of Freeze Dried Dairy Products
• Restaurants (e.g. freeze-dried grated mozzarella for pizzas)
• Bakeries (e.g. prebiotic dairy cultures for breadmaking)
• Biotech industry (fat-free milk powder used as a saturating agent)
• Camping, mountaineering and hiking
• Military and emergency food rations
• Whey protein - Lactoferrin
Freeze drying dairy products for easy storage and transportation.
Cuddon designs and manufactures freeze drying machines for sale worldwide.
Want to know more about Cuddon Freeze Dryers? Visit our web page at www.cuddonfreezedry.com
Have you read our free Guide To Choosing a Freeze Dryer?
