If you've never had freeze-dried candy, I'm telling you, you're missing out! After the candy is freeze-dried, the final result is a "puffed" version of the candy with a satisfying crunch or crispness. Its texture is similar to cheese puffs (without the cheese of course). And most candies can be freeze-dried for months on end.
Because they are so delicious, you may end up eating less candy than usual. Every bite is full of candy flavors. Be careful though,
freeze dry machine for candy addictive!
If you're reading this, you might be wondering, how do I make freeze-dried candies?
The technological process of freeze-dried candy:
1. Pretreatment of freeze-drying
If the candy is larger, it will need to be cut as freeze-dried candies will expand and spread evenly. Also, opt for smaller pieces for faster and more efficient freeze-drying.
2. Freeze-drying
Pre-frozen
Put the processed candies into the freeze-drying bin for freezing, the temperature is -35°C, and the freezing time is 1-2h, so that the central temperature of the candy reaches below the eutectic point temperature.
Vacuum sublimation drying (under constant pressure)
First, pre-cool the temperature of the cold trap of the vacuum freeze dryer to -45°C. When the temperature of the cold trap drops to -45°C, turn on the vacuum pump to make the vacuum degree reach 20pa, and maintain this pressure. At this time, the shelf is heated and frozen. The candy begins to sublime and dry. Sublimation drying of strawberries generally lasts 4-5 hours.
Note: The temperature of the cold trap is strictly maintained during the sublimation drying stage, while the temperature of the center of the candy is not higher than its eutectic temperature during the heating process, and the temperature of the surface of the candy is not higher than the maximum temperature allowed. When the surface temperature of the candy is close to the core temperature, the sublimation drying ends.
3. Freeze-drying post-processing
Wait for the freeze-drying program to end, turn off the equipment, break the vacuum, take out the freeze-dried candy, and seal the package.
Can freeze-dried sugar be made without a freeze dryer?
Short answer: no!
While there are other ways to dry freeze other foods without a
freeze dryer candy machine, it doesn't seem to work with candy. You need a dedicated freeze dryer to dry frozen candies. The smallest freeze dryers start at less than $2,400. It's a sound investment for a machine that will last almost a lifetime.
To make freeze-dried candies at home, you must use a dedicated freeze-drier. You may have seen blog posts teaching you other ways to make freeze-dried candies at home, but they simply don't work! This includes methods such as "deep freezing" or the use of dry ice, but these methods will only end up making the candy taste bad.
For more information on why this is so, read on!
Why choose a freeze dryer?
The ability to preserve food is beneficial for a number of reasons. Not only do freeze-dried foods last longer, but sometimes the food tastes better! Freeze-drying allows for better preservation of the structural integrity of foods than using methods such as the use of dry ice and dehydration.
With some dehydrators, too much heat can result in a loss of nutrients. Because freeze-drying removes moisture in a controlled environment, most of the product is preserved.
How does a freeze dryer work?
Essentially, freeze drying is a form of dehydration in which water is removed in the form of ice by sublimation. This preserves the structural integrity of the food better than traditional forms of heat dehydration. This process is also known as freeze-drying.
Freeze dryers have a vacuum pump that creates negative pressure around the candy, allowing the moisture to sublimate from the candy, leaving a firm, crisp candy. The key is the negative pressure process of the freeze dryer, which cannot be replaced by the other methods mentioned above (dry ice or deep freezing).
The freeze dryer cools the moisture contained in the candy in advance and freezes it into a solid. Then, the pressure is reduced by a vacuum pump, and the water vapor is directly sublimated under the condition of vacuum. The food itself remains in the ice shelf when it freezes, so it dries without changing its porous volume. Therefore, this is the best way to preserve food as the ingredients are nearly intact!
What does this mean to us? Freeze-dried food preserves more of the nutritional value and flavor of the food! Freeze-dried foods can last up to 20 years if stored properly. Don't think it's limited to candy, the freeze dryer can be used for any food you want to freeze dry.
Is it worth buying a freeze dryer?
Short answer: well worth it!
Home freeze dryers start at over $2,000 on the low end and over $3,600 on the high end. If you plan to use it for at least a year, buying a freeze dryer can lower your production costs compared to buying freeze-dried food at the store.
In addition, the freeze dryer can be used not only for freeze drying of candy, but also for meat, fruits, vegetables and other foods.
1. Freeze-dried coffee
Compared with ordinary instant coffee, freeze-dried coffee tastes better. If ordinary instant coffee has its own traditional craftsmanship, we can regard freeze-dried coffee as an upgraded version of ordinary instant coffee, but this upgraded version retains the taste, taste and nutrients of coffee to the greatest extent.
2. Freeze-dried fruit
Nutritional value
Freeze-dried fruit is to freeze the fruit at minus 30 degrees, and then perform sublimation and dehydration. The vacuum environment reduces the oxidation of the fruit, and preserves the nutrients in the fruit as high as 95%. The temperature of the dried fruit is above 100 degrees, high temperature damages vitamins, and the loss rate of vitamins is higher.
Morphologically
Freeze-dried fruit is sublimated and dehydrated, and the moisture of the fruit is directly converted from the frozen state to water vapor, which has less impact on the plant frame (cell wall) than drying. It will shrink a little when dried
in color
The oxidation reaction of dried fruit is more carried out, so the color is darker. Freeze-dried fruit is processed in a vacuum environment, so the oxidation reaction is less and the color is more vivid.
How to choose a freeze dryer?
If you want to choose a suitable refrigerated dryer, the premise is to determine the characteristics of various brands and production technologies, and of course to choose the appropriate specifications and models, in order to get a better experience in the application, if the selected brand model does not meet the work The specific needs of the environment, then the expensive equipment is meaningless.
ZZKD's food freeze dryer models are: FD-01, FD-03, FD-04, FD-06, FD-10, FD-50, FD-100.
Drying area (m 2 ): 0.1
Tray size (mm): 145*275
Capacity (kg): 2-3
Condenser temperature (°C): ≤-35
Drying area (m 2 ): 0.3
Tray size (mm): 205*385
Capacity (kg): 3
Condenser temperature (°C): ≤-50
If you need to freeze-dry fruits, vegetables, candies and other foods at home, the above two types of freeze-dryers fully meet your requirements, and the price is not high. For household freeze-dryers, FD-01 and FD-03 are Very good choice. But if you need to use it on the production line or as a commercial freeze dryer, please contact us, we will give you more detailed equipment parameters.
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