Is Freeze Dried Food Healthy?
Astronauts in space and soldiers in combat use freeze-dried foods because they don’t spoil, they weigh less and they’re more convenient.
A primitive form of freeze drying was in use around 1250 BC by the Peruvian Incas as a way to preserve food.
Machines to freeze dry foods and other products were developed during the two World Wars, and in 1938, the first freeze-dried coffee was produced. In planning for the long-duration Apollo missions, NASA developed freeze-drying techniques for other foods such as ice cream.
Processing Effects
To freeze-dry any food, it’s first frozen solid, the water is removed, usually via a vacuum chamber, and finally, a heat source removes ice crystals. The finished product can retain up to 98 percent of its nutrition while weighing only 10 percent of the original.
However, studies have shown that lot of nutrients and oils are lost during Sun Drying and/or Hot air drying processed which makes Freeze Dried Food better than anything comparable.
Nutritional Effects
American Institute for Cancer Research has found that the antioxidant phytochemicals found in fresh fruits are about the same as in their freeze dried versions.