Freeze-dried products can store easily for more than ten years when correctly done. However, improper freeze-drying and making mistakes in the process can lead to products that do not freeze-dry properly and do not store well. Also, when the product does not freeze-dry properly, the shape and taste may be compromised. Here are five freeze-drying mistakes to avoid.

1. Incorrect temperature settings

In all stages of the freeze-drying process, the temperature has to be set correctly to ensure that the products freeze-dry properly.

The product will not properly freeze when the temperature is too high in the pre-freezing stage. On the other hand, if the temperature is set too high in the sublimation stage, some products may melt out of the container during the vacuum sublimation and drying stages.

To prevent this, you should instead increase the pre-freezing time and reduce the temperature so the product can freeze entirely for subsequent sublimation.

2. Freeze-drying large amounts of food/product

Freeze-dryers work best when the amount of product is not so much. If the amount is too much for solutions in bottles, the bottle might break and lose its bottom during the freeze-drying process.

For other food items, too much food in the freeze-dryer at once can cause uneven food processing. It can also increase the freeze-drying time because the ice will build up inside your freeze-dryer drum. Additionally, overloading your freeze-dryers might even stop them from working.

In the same vein, when freeze-drying food items, when the sizes of the items are significantly different, the freeze-drying process takes longer, and it may not yield the best result possible. This is because some of the food may not be fully processed.

Solution

Do not overload your freeze-dryers tray with food items or the bottles with excessive solutions.

Ensure that the weight of your items is evenly distributed across multiple trays.

When freeze-drying food items, you should ensure the sizes are relatively uniformed so they can process uniformly.

3. Freeze-drying foods with dissimilar flavors in the same batch

One of the most significant advantages of freeze-drying is that the food retains its flavor for years. However, freeze-drying foods with different flavors- such as green beans and bananas- or a rich smelling food with one with a mild flavor- like curry and bananas- the softer food will end up absorbing the taste and smell of the other food. Except you find eating green bean or curry-flavored banana, this is a practice you should avoid.

4. Freeze-drying high sugar content or high-fat content food

Food with high sugar or fat content does not process well in a freeze-dryer. Food items such as butter, heavy cream, lard, and other foods should not be freeze-dried. Such practice often ends up with the fat from the food item coating every surface of the freeze-dryer requiring much effort and time to clean off.

Similarly, the same goes for food with high sugar content like honey, jam, jelly, and others. The chemical composition of these substances is such that water binds directly to the sugar. They will remain sticky and moist no matter how long you process them in the freeze-dryer.

There you have it, four mistakes you should avoid in your freeze-drying adventure.