Introduction to Freeze Drying
Otherwise known as lyophilisation, this process, which removes water from perishable ingredients, can be used for everything from a host of familiar fruits and vegetables to meats. It's billed as a ‘hack for teleportation', enabling foods to retain their vitamins, flavour and aroma while making it easier to rehydrate the produce and place it into storage or ship it around the world.
The Science Behind Freeze Drying
This process is achieved by first freezing the material, then lowering the pressure and adding heat to expedite the removal – or sublimation – of the frozen water out of the material. The end result is the effective freeze drying of foods that remain outwardly unchanged, preserving much of the texture, flavour and nutritional content.
Advantages of Freeze Drying
Extended Shelf Life
When it comes to food storage for long term use, you just can't beat freeze dried – which holds it's goodness for years, even decades, with proper cooling and storage, it truly defies time.
Nutritional Integrity
Freeze drying preserves vitamins and minerals that can also be lost when food is steamed, cooked or microwaved. You aren't merely eating, you're fuelling.
Lightweight and Portable
Have you ever wished you could fit a whole blueberry or strawberry into your pocket without having it burst and make a mess? Well, now you can – thanks to freeze drying, which removes about 98 per cent of the water out of a food.
The Teleportation Hacks: Best Fruits for Freeze Drying
Even though most foods will freeze dry beautifully, some fruits really come into their own as freeze dried products.
The Powerhouse: Freeze Dried Strawberries
Nutritional Profile
And we should count on the fact that the vitamins and so-called antioxidants in the freeze dried strawberries have not been degraded, hence they are in no way inferior to freshly available strawberries. Such berries are a hotbed of Vitamin C, manganese, folate and potassium.
Uses
From a snack for snacking to enhance cereals and desserts, what can you do with strawberries that are dried using freezing? The text has been paraphrased while retaining citations and quotes.
The Exotic Delight: Freeze Dried Dragon Fruit
Nutritional Profile
This showy fruit's beauty is more than skin-deep, as its deep red flesh is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C and fibre, which are all preserved in the freeze drying process.
Uses
Toss it in a smoothie, sprinkle it over your salad or munch on it plain – sweet, crunchy, raw dragon fruit will add a tropical punch to your day.
Other Top Fruits for Freeze Drying
Other fruits, natural and beloved companions to nuts, include apples, peaches and, my personal favourite, cherries. Each are delicious additions to the freeze dried party, with their own distinct profiles and nutritional slants.
How to Store Freeze Dried Foods
Keep your freeze dried fruits in salt or airtight storage jars, in a cool, dark location. The shelf life extension can be achieved by adding oxygen or moisture absorbers.
The Role of Dehydration in Long Term Food Storage
Dehydration, which involves drying food to remove most of the water, is an alternative preservation technique to freeze drying, although it's not as creepy when used to preserve food for long-term storage. Of course, the drying process changes the physical texture of foods, sometimes to the point of being inedible, and changes the taste as well.
Conclusion
If you want a low-calorie, high-nutrient snack, a way to preserve your garden's compost plots, or nutritious though lightweight provisions for backpacking, the answer comes to hand: freeze-dried fruits. From the everyday strawberry to the exotic dragon fruit, whatever the fruit, freeze-drying takes it to another level.
FAQs
What is the difference between freeze dried fruit and dehydrated fruit?
Freeze drying is the process of removing water molecules from fruit by using low pressures and temperatures. This process preserves the original shape of the fruit, due to the sublimation of ice, which is the conversion of ice directly into water vapour without passing through the liquid state. It also retains most of the nutrients of the fruit. On the other hand, dehydrating is the loss of water from fruit through evaporation or desiccation. This process results in smaller pieces of fruit and they can lose some nutrients in the process.
I know freeze drying fruit is possible, can I do it at home?
Sure, if you have a home freeze dryer. They're pretty expensive.
How long freeze dried fruits can be stored?
Frozen dried fruit can last easily up to 25 year if stored in isopacks properly.
Are freeze dried fruits healthy?
They are? They are! Freeze drying retains most of the fruit's vitamins and nutrients, and is thus a very healthy snack.
Could you re-hydrate the freeze dried fruits?
Yes, if we pour a little water over them and let them soak for a few minutes, we'll find that the fruit looks and tastes much more like the original.
