Freeze drying of food
Introduction
First of all, not just anyone can get involved in this method of preservation called freeze-drying.
Freeze-drying a fruit or vegetable is fine and you will probably succeed. Where it becomes more complicated is producing diverse foods that are as good as if they came out of the pot.
This involves developing recipes and knowledge based on research, analysis, numerous tests and the development of strict and supervised processes for each of the products to be freeze-dried.
Definition
Freeze-drying is a very recently developed method of food preservation.
Today, it gives the best results among all the preservation solutions, whether it is the taste and appearance of the food, the shelf life, the nutritional values, the weight and space, or the method of preparation.​
Collaborative project
The Foundation is pleased to announce its collaboration with Route des Gerbes d'Angelica for the freeze-drying project for food from its farm(s). This project is overseen by an expert advisor in research and development of freeze-drying techniques and practices. With her experience, Lucilia Albernaz, collaborator of Route des Gerbes d'Angelica, will share her experience and knowledge as well as the techniques developed to transmit them to the user members of the farms.
The Nikmaq Foundation has confirmed its intention to work with Route des Gerbes d'Angelica, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help the most vulnerable people living in situations of food insecurity. The collaboration aims, among other things, to create a project for the transformation and preservation of food produced on the current farm and those to come.
The goal is to protect the results of hard work and to adopt good practices when using food resources, both those harvested and those from various external sources. This is to ensure an abundance of products in the long term since the products once freeze-dried have an average shelf life of up to 25 years and certainly a healthy and balanced diet.
With the expertise of Mrs. Albernaz, aware of the societal challenges regarding food insecurity and waste and especially concerned about the products that will be grown on the land of its properties, their use and their conservation, the Foundation, after meeting Ms. Lucilia Albernaz, an expert in research and development of freeze-drying processes and techniques, immediately became interested in this new approach and did not hesitate for a minute to conclude an agreement so that this expertise would be part of the activities and operations that will be offered to user members.
What is the principleof freeze-drying?
Freeze-drying consists of freezing the food and then dehydrating it to extract thwater.
​What are the advantages of freeze-drying?
Freeze-drying has the advantage of better preserving nutritional qualities and taste, ensuring longer storage and being able to rehydrate in hot OR cold water, which is practical in case of a problem with cooking the water.
How to do freeze drying?
Freeze drying is a low temperature drying process to remove the water contained in a product. It consists of three steps: freezing the product, then sublimating it and finally desorption. The process is carried out by maintaining the product at a low temperature under vacuum.
Copyright
The photos posted on this page are the property of Route des Gerbes d'Angelica (RGA) and the Nikmaq Foundation has obtained permission to use them on its website. All these photos may not be copied, reproduced, printed or captured without requesting it from the Foundation and without obtaining permission from RGA.