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Vacuum Freeze Dryer: The "Nutrition Fresh-keeping Expert" for Pet Food
Views: 462 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-11-04 Origin: Site
Vacuum Freeze Dryer: The "Nutrition Fresh-keeping Expert" for Pet Food
In the field of high-end pet food production, the Vacuum Freeze Dryer is a core equipment for creating high-quality products. Through the "low-temperature freezing - vacuum sublimation" process, it first freezes pet food raw materials such as fresh meat and fruits and vegetables to -40℃ to -50℃, turning the moisture in the raw materials into ice crystals. Then, in a high vacuum environment below 10Pa, the ice crystals are directly sublimated into water vapor, and finally freeze-dried pet food with a moisture content of less than 4% is obtained. This process can completely retain the protein, vitamins and natural flavor substances in the raw materials, while maintaining the original fiber structure of the ingredients, solving problems such as nutrient loss and rough taste caused by traditional drying. It is widely used in the production of freeze-dried cat food, dog food, pet snacks and other scenarios.
Operating the Vacuum Freeze Dryer requires adjusting parameters according to the characteristics of pet food raw materials. When processing meat raw materials such as chicken and beef, the pre-freezing time is controlled at 3-5 hours to ensure that the moisture in the muscle fibers is completely frozen; the shelf temperature in the sublimation stage is slowly raised to 35℃-45℃ to avoid hardening of the meat surface; the temperature in the desorption stage is raised to 50℃-60℃ to completely remove bound water and extend the shelf life. When processing fruit and vegetable accessories such as blueberries and carrots, they need to be crushed into 1-3mm particles first, the pre-freezing time is shortened to 2-3 hours, and the sublimation temperature is reduced to 25℃-35℃ to prevent oxidation and discoloration of fruit and vegetable pigments. Before mass production, the rehydration property (restoring the original shape after soaking in warm water for 5 minutes) must be tested through trial production, and formal production can only be carried out after reaching the standard.
Daily maintenance should focus on "vacuum system" and "hygienic cleaning". After each use, rinse the freeze-drying chamber and cold trap with food-grade detergent, then rinse with sterile water, and finally dry with hot air; check the thickness of the cold trap frost layer every week, and defrost in time if it exceeds 8mm to avoid a decrease in refrigeration efficiency; replace the vacuum pump oil every month and clean the oil filter at the same time to ensure stable vacuum degree; calibrate the temperature sensor and vacuum gauge every six months, with errors controlled within ±1℃ and ±5Pa respectively. In addition, the equipment needs to conduct regular microbial testing to ensure that the chamber is sterile and meets pet food hygiene standards.
Compared with traditional drying equipment, the protein retention rate of freeze-dried pet food is increased by 25%-35%, with better palatability, and can be stored at room temperature for 12-18 months without adding preservatives. With the improvement of pet owners' requirements for food quality, Vacuum Freeze Dryers with the characteristics of mass production, intelligent temperature control, energy saving and consumption reduction have become key equipment for pet food enterprises to build high-end product lines and enhance market competitiveness.
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