Just about any fruit you can think of can be freeze-dried: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, apples, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, and more.
Whole fruits are usually cut in half, sliced or cubed before freeze drying, and small fruits like berries can be put into the mini freeze dry machine whole. Freeze-dried fruit can also be sold as a fine powder for flavoring smoothies and desserts.
3 Ways To Make Freeze-Dried Fruit At Home
Freezing method:
Required equipment and materials:
●Choose your favorite fruit (strawberry, banana, peach, watermelon, grape, orange, grapefruit, etc.)
●Baking tray, low temperature freezer
Specific production steps:
➩Step 1: Wash and slice all the fruit and place them side by side on a baking sheet.
➩Step 2: Place the tray in the freezer.
If possible, make sure there are no other foods in the freezer. Do not open the freezer too much when freezing food. This slows down the freezing process and causes the food to form ice crystals. If you have a deep freeze freezer, use it for freezing. Food should be frozen at the lowest possible temperature by placing it in a low temperature freezer.
➩Step 3: Store the food in the freezer until it freezes dry.
After about a week, the moisture will sublime, removing all moisture from the food. Test food by removing a piece of food to thaw to make sure it is completely freeze-dried. If the food turns black, it has not been freeze-dried.
➩Step 4: Store food.
Once the food is completely freeze-dried, place it in a storage bag in the freezer. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it. Then store it in the refrigerator, pantry, or emergency kit.
To improve your chances of successfully freeze drying fruit, make sure your fruit has a high water content, such as watermelon, berries, and grapefruit, to increase the chances of the process being successful. If the freeze-drying method is successful, the fruit will retain its color.
Dry ice method
Required equipment and materials
●Choose your favorite fruit (strawberry, banana, peach, watermelon, grape, orange, grapefruit, etc.)
●Dry ice, freezer sealed bags, coolers
Specific production steps
➩Step 1: Put food in freezer bag
Lay the bag flat so the food doesn't clump up in the corners;
Squeeze the air out of the freezer bag before sealing it;
Make sure the freezer bag is completely sealed.
➩Step 2: Place the freezer bag in a large cooler.
Cover food with dry ice;
Wear gloves or long sleeves when handling dry ice;
If you have a lot of grocery bags, replace the bags and dry ice until the cooler is full.
➩Step 3: Put the cooler inside the freezer.
After 6 hours, cover the cooler with a lid.
After 24 hours, check to see if the dry ice in the cooler is still there.
If not, the food can be stored.
Mini freeze dry machine method
Required equipment and materials
●Choose your favorite fruit (strawberry, banana, peach, watermelon, grape, orange, grapefruit, etc.)
Choose fresh fruits and wash them clean; peel, core, and cut into small pieces or strips of about 10mm; lay them flat in the tray of the mini freeze dry machine;
It is important to dry your fruit thoroughly before proceeding. Starting with wet fruit increases the amount of ice that evaporates during the freezing process, causing the dehydration process to take longer.
➩Step 2: Place the food in the freezer tray
(Note: Make sure the food does not exceed the height of the tray)
If possible, arrange your fruit so that there is a little space between each slice. It's okay if the edges touch, but try not to squeeze on the pan as this can cause sticking. More space means better airflow, better airflow means shorter freezing time, and finally put the tray full of fruit into the drying chamber of the freeze dryer;
➩Step 3: Put the tray in the freeze dryer and close the door
First preheat for 2 hours, start the refrigeration unit after preheating, and put the freeze-dried material when the temperature reaches -25 degrees.
When this step is complete, close the door and activate the vacuum. Set the lyophilizer temperature between -40 and -50 degrees and allow 24 hours for the process to complete.
➩Step 4: After 24 hours, the fresh and delicious fruit freeze-dried is done! After freeze-drying, tap water must be connected to defrost the cold trap, and the water outlet must be opened to drain the defrosted water. After confirmation, the vent valve and drain valve must be closed. When finished, freeze-dried fruit in a ziplock bag or storage jar and keep it in an airtight container.
Advantages Of Home Freeze Dryers
Compared with the freezing method and the dry ice method, the freeze dryer has the following advantages:
1. The freeze-drying machine is equipped with a pre-freezing and drying separate structure, which can be carried out at the same time, which improves the freeze-drying efficiency and shortens the freeze-drying time.
2. Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy separator material, double-sided radiation heating, emissivity over 90%, good temperature uniformity.
3. High-efficiency mixed refrigerant medium, low freezing point and high boiling point, high heat exchange efficiency and long service life.
4. Professional gas diversion design and control technology, strong water capture capacity and high drying efficiency.
5. The tray is stamped and formed by aviation anti-rust aluminum alloy, and has a high heat absorption rate through special surface treatment. Each drying chamber is equipped with 2 sets of material trays.
Do You Know The Benefits Of Freeze-dried Fruit?
Freeze-drying fruit is a process used to preserve fresh produce so it remains shelf-stable and lasts longer without the use of preservatives. The purpose of freeze drying fruit is to preserve its nutritional content. Through this process, the fruit form remains intact and most of the nutrients in fresh fruit are retained. Freeze-dried fruit can be used as a healthy snack or in baking.
How To Store Freeze-dried Fruit?
1. Use packaging materials that are protected from light, radiation, and airtight for airtight packaging, and vacuum packaging or inert gas packaging as much as possible. Freeze-dried food should be stored in airtight containers, and the packaging materials should be airtight and light-tight, so transparent packaging materials are generally not used.
2. Prevent the pollution of strong oxidants, especially the pollution of copper and iron.
3. Anti-shock and anti-pressure to avoid breakage of freeze-dried products.
Because freeze-dried food is fragile, packaging materials that can prevent mechanical damage to the product, such as metal cans and glass bottles, should be used.
4. The lower the storage temperature, the better, preferably lower than 20℃. Due to the hygroscopicity and easy oxidation of freeze-dried food, it is best to use dry nitrogen (or inert gas such as carbon dioxide) to restore the drying room to normal pressure at the end of freeze-drying; the usual practice is to use dry and clean air in the operating room to Restore the normal pressure in the drying room of the freeze dryer, and immediately pack and seal the freeze-dried food in a dry and clean operating room after taking it out.
Products
