Project
Anti-waste and food safety based on freeze-drying of food
What is this project about?
The ANTI-WASTE AND FOOD SECURITY project, based on a proven development process, is being developed in two distinct parts.
First, it consists, from the products grown in our educational gardens, in providing training to show the processes, techniques and methods of food preservation for personal use and in anticipation of the future of future generations. The goal is to raise awareness among young and old about food waste, a societal and global scourge, about related solutions and about continued access to healthy, balanced and sustainable food.
Secondly, it involves collaborating with non-profit organizations working with vulnerable, deprived people who do not have easy access to food due to their financial, social or other conditions. The service offering of Route des Gerbes d'Angelica, based on several years of expertise, also targets organizations or foundations that, through their mission, offer lodging, support and work on farms or on agricultural land and whose freeze-drying would allow them to preserve their harvested products longer and in better ways by almost completely avoiding food waste and loss.
Consequently, develop programs and training adapted to the needs of users, members, staff or volunteers of organizations, foundations or any other organizations interested in this new process.
Let's find out what freeze drying is, its basic principle, its advantages, the processes, techniques and specialized equipment used for this purpose.
For your information, see some statistics on food waste recorded per year in Quebec, on the Recyc-Québec website.
What is freeze drying?
Freeze-drying is a method of food preservation that is increasingly developing. It is a dehydration technique that uses cold and vacuum rather than heat to remove water from food. This process removes a greater quantity of water than dehydration, while preserving all the nutrients and taste. RGA recognizes after a few years of experimentation that it is a remarkable solution to counter waste and food insecurity.
Principe and advantages
The principle consists of freezing food and then dehydrating it in a specific device called a freeze dryer. This involves removing water from food without breaking the molecular bonds, thus keeping the product stable at a low temperature. This process consists of three steps: freezing the product, then sublimating it and finally desorbing it. As a result, it allows the shape, texture, appearance, flavor and nutrients to be preserved, resulting in a high-quality product and long-term preservation.
Freeze-drying has the advantage of better preserving nutritional qualities (around 95%), and taste (intact taste and texture), ensuring longer conservation (up to 25 years) and being able to rehydrate quickly in hot or cold water, which is very practical in the office, when hiking, camping or in any other sporting or physical activities.
Process and techniques
Freeze drying is not an easy task. Sure, freeze drying fruits or vegetables when following the instructions of the device supplier can be suitable. It is a complex process that requires learning and hours of trial and error before arriving at conclusive and lasting results. It requires great attention to detail and a lot of adjustments and practice.
IIt is not enough to just put food in the freeze dryer, but to develop techniques that will facilitate and to design balanced, tasty recipes with controlled seasonings, which is not done automatically or from your usual way of cooking.
Route des Gerbes d'Angelica (RGA) in collaboration with Angelica Route Gourmande (ARG) has developed a great deal of expertise in this field and wishes to share it. This is its contribution to the problem of food waste and safety, the scourge of our society. Training, support or answers to your questions, the range of services in this field is adaptable to the needs of all organizations, foundations or companies that would see, in this process, an avenue to add to their mission objectives.
Equipment
Freeze-dryer
The freeze-dryer is the device used to perform freeze drying. It consists of the following parts: dry chamber or freeze drying chamber: this is where the substance to be freeze dried is placed, condenser with a refrigeration circuit: it communicates with the dry chamber and this is where the vapor that is produced during sublimation is condensed and finally a vacuum system.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
FREEZE-DRIED PRODUCTS
PRODUCTION
Transfer of specifications for each product, once the development process has been finalized and approved, to Angelica Route Gourmande, a company under the management of RGA, responsible for processing, production and marketing.
EXAMPLE OF FREEZE-DRIED PRODUCTS
