Food freeze-drying equipment is a kind of equipment that uses low-temperature vacuum technology to remove water from food, thereby preventing microbial growth and food deterioration. This kind of equipment usually consists of three main parts: refrigeration system, vacuum system and heating system.
First, the freezing system freezes the moisture in the food into ice crystals by cooling it to a temperature below its freezing point. This process requires precise temperature control to prevent damage to certain ingredients in the food.
Next, the vacuum system starts working, placing the frozen food in a vacuum. In a vacuum, ice crystals change directly from a solid state to a gaseous state, a process known as "sublimation". Due to the extremely low pressure in the vacuum environment, the sublimation of ice crystals is very fast and can generally be completed within a few minutes.
Finally, the heating system rapidly heats the sublimated water vapor to condense it into liquid water and discharge it from the equipment. In this way, we get a food that is dry and can be stored for a long time.
The advantage of food freeze-drying equipment is that it can effectively retain the nutrients and taste of food. Due to the very fast heat transfer during lyophilization, heat-sensitive components such as proteins, vitamins, etc. in food products are virtually undamaged. In addition, freeze-dried foods are only about one-third the volume of original food, making them ideal for long-term storage and transportation.
However, there are also some challenges associated with food freeze-drying equipment. For example, the lyophilization process requires precise control of temperature and pressure, which places very high demands on the performance of the equipment. In addition, the rehydration of freeze-dried food also needs to be considered, otherwise it will affect the taste and nutritional value of the food.