What is Lyophilization?
Freeze Dry Technology was developed in the first quarter of the 1900s. The first lyophilization device was derived from a chemical pump developed by Benedict & Manning in 1905. Since 1930s, lyophilization has been improved by pharmacy and biotechnology companies, on the other hand, coffee, the first freeze-dried food sample, was first developed by Nestlé in Brazil in 1938, upon demands that it finds solution to Brazil’s excess coffee stocks.
Lyophilization (freeze dry) is the technique of protection through a process called sublimation for drying the material. Water contained in the products is frozen at the very beginning and while in this situation, the water is expelled by sublimation.
Sublimation is the transition of the material from solid (ice) state to gas (water vapor) state, by skipping the liquid state of the material, that is, without allowing the ice to melt. The iced water directly evaporates in low-pressure environment, in the event of a slight increase in temperature. In this way, high temperatures are not needed for obtaining preserva-tion.
Thus, it does not cause changes like cleavages and so on in products’ molecule and cell structure. Their inner and outer structures are not spoiled, they preserve almost their original states.
Areas of uses of lyophilization:
- Fruit and Vegetable
- Milk and Milk Products
- Meat and Fish Drying
- Cosmetics Medical
- Pet Foods
- Historical Artifacts and Document Drying
