Stainless Steel Refrigerated Air Dryer

Stainless Steel Freeze Dryer

【1】Vacuum freeze dryers utilize freeze-drying technology to hermetically dry products, allowing them to be preserved at room temperature. In the market, there is a wide variety of freeze-dried foods, including instant freeze-dried coffee, freeze-dried beef, freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, freeze-dried porridge, freeze-dried noodles, freeze-dried tofu, among others. Additionally, freeze-dried travel foods and freeze-dried snacks are also highly favored by consumers. Freeze-dried foods primarily consist of fruits, vegetables, convenience foods, and meat and aquatic products, with fruits and vegetables being the dominant categories. Fruits account for approximately 40% of China's freeze-dried food market, while vegetables make up about 20%. Freeze-dried foods achieve zero additives, meeting consumers' demands for "eating well, enjoying meals, and maintaining health." They align with the contemporary emphasis on health and nutrition among young people and cater to the health requirements of snack foods.

Features of Stainless Steel Freeze Dryer Equipment:

The refrigeration system uses high-quality imported compressor units, offering high cooling efficiency, stable performance, and easy maintenance.

The vacuum system employs a dual-system design with pre-pumping units and maintenance units, enhancing operational stability and durability.

Equipped with a quick-freezing chamber, pre-cooling and drying are completed separately, helping to shorten the production cycle and enabling continuous production.

Touchscreen operation with a PLC control system allows real-time monitoring of equipment operation and includes fault alert functionality.

Can be connected to a computer for remote control, easily recording and storing freeze-drying data and curves.

Uses refrigerants that comply with international environmental standards, providing effective cooling and being environmentally friendly.

Although freeze-drying technology was introduced early in China, its application in the food industry has not been widespread due to limitations in the consumer market. With increasing market awareness of freeze-dried foods, vacuum freeze-drying technology is rapidly developing and advancing. As vacuum freeze-drying technology matures, the development and application of freeze-drying machinery and equipment make it possible for freeze-dried food enterprises to achieve industrialization and scale.

In recent years, with growing consumer demand for freeze-dried foods, the use of vacuum freeze dryers in the food industry has expanded rapidly. According to relevant statistics, as the market for freeze-dried foods continues to grow, the demand for vacuum freeze-drying equipment will increase, indicating very broad market prospects.

Vacuum freeze-drying technology (referred to as freeze-drying technology) involves studying the heat and mass transfer processes, characteristics, and principles of drying frozen materials in a vacuum environment. It is an interdisciplinary comprehensive technology. The development of freeze-drying technology requires support from vacuum refrigeration, heating, mechanical transmission, automatic control, and other technologies.

The principle of vacuum freeze-drying is based on the phase diagram of water. Below the triple point pressure of water (610.5 Pa), no liquid water exists, and solid ice can directly sublimate into water vapor. If heat is provided at this point, the ice absorbs heat and sublimates into a gaseous state, thereby dehydrating the material. This is also known as freeze sublimation drying.

Drying is one of the methods to prevent material deterioration. There are many drying methods, such as sun drying, boiling drying, oven drying, spray drying, and vacuum drying. However, these methods are conducted at 0 degrees Celsius or higher temperatures. Dried products generally shrink in volume, harden in texture, undergo oxidation in some cases, and lose most volatile components. Some heat-sensitive materials, such as proteins, may denature. Freeze-drying involves pre-freezing materials containing large amounts of water into solids and then sublimating the water vapor directly under vacuum conditions, leaving the material in its frozen state. As a result, the dried product is porous, loose, and retains its original volume. Freeze-drying is performed at low temperatures, making it particularly suitable for many heat-sensitive materials, such as proteins and microorganisms, which do not deteriorate. During low-temperature drying, the loss of volatile components is minimal, making it ideal for drying chemical products and foods. In the freeze-drying process, microbial growth and enzyme activity are halted, preserving the original characteristics of the material. The dried material is spongy and porous, dissolving quickly and completely upon rehydration, almost fully restoring its original state. Since drying occurs in a frozen state, the volume remains nearly unchanged, maintaining the original structure without concentration. Drying under vacuum conditions minimizes oxygen exposure, preventing oxidation and preserving the appearance and color. Drying removes most moisture, enabling long-term preservation of the product without spoilage. Therefore, freeze-drying is widely used in industries, food processing, scientific research, and other sectors.