FREEZE DRYERS: Freeze drying is a dehydration process typically used to preserve a perishable material or make the material more

convenient for transport. The material is held on shelves or belts in a chamber that is under high vacuum. Usually, the food is frozen before being loaded into the dryer. Heat is transferred to the food by conduction or radiation and the vapour is removed by vacuum pump and then condensed. This equipment works by freeze the material, then reduce the surrounding pressure and add enough heat to allow the frozen water in the material to sublime directly from the solid phase to the gas phase. The scientific principle is sublimation which is the conversion of solid (ice) directly into the gaseous form (water vapour). A typical freeze drying machine consists of three major components which are a freeze-drying chamber, a freezing coil connected to a refrigerator compressor, and a vacuum pump. First the temperatures are lowered in the freeze-drying chamber and the food item is in frozen solid. This way the water content of the food is converted to solid ice. The advantages of using the freeze dryers are it has little thermal damage to the substances than other dehydration method by using higher temperatures. It also can make good retention of volatile flavours and good vitamin retention because during this process for preserving food, the flavours, smells and nutritional content generally remain unchanged. Furthermore, it can cause rapid product rehydration as the process leaves microscopic pores that is created by the sublimation of ice crystal, little product shrinkage and long product storage life if it is suitably packaged and lastly good retention of biological activity with the use of cryoprotectants. The disadvantages of using this equipment are it has high drying cost. The equipment is about three times as expensive as the equipment used for other separation processes, and the high drying costs is from the high energy demand. Besides, by initial freezing it can cause damage to certain products by addition of too much heat to the material and it can cause rapid deterioration unless if the products are properly packaged and maintained at low humidity. It can also cause product friability which is crumbles easily and sometimes it is necessary to conduct pre-treatment to avoid colour loss such as for carrots. Therefore, the low operating temperature of the process can minimises the damage for the heat-sensitive products. The freeze-dried ice cream is suitable to be created by using this equipment. This food is popular among the astronaut food and is convenient for the hikers because the reduced weight allows them to carry more food and reconstitute it with available water. By using freeze drying, the food can be more preserved and become very lightweight. Instant coffee is also freeze dried by vaporization in a hot air flow, or by projection on hot metallic plates. When subjected in freeze dryer, that product can be more stable or easier to dissolve in water for subsequent use.