Date: September 10, 1997 12:42 PM
Author: Torrie (torrietaylor@hotmail.com)
Subject: f/dried, nitro-pack

Does anyone know ifyou can freeze dry or nitro-pack foods in a home setting.... Meaning does anyone know if these are processes that have to be done commercially, or can you simply buy the equipment (whatever that may be) and do this kind of stuff at home...? Any help would appreciated Torrie

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2422)

---

Date: September 10, 1997 02:59 PM
Author: Will Richards (will_richards@hotmail.com)
Subject: Yes and No to my knowledge


HI Torrie, Freeze drying is rather complex and I can't help you there. Nitro packing is easy and cheap. Rather than re-invent the wheel I am going to send you to some websites that have extensive info.

http://waltonfeed.com/self/index.html

http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~foodsaf/can1.html

http://ext.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs.htm

http://www.foodstorage.net/

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2428)

---

Date: September 12, 1997 11:50 AM
Author: Al Durtschi (rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Freeze Drying machines


Torrie,

Freeze drying is done by freezing your food then putting it under a strong vacuum which pulls the moisture right out of it. It looks just like it did before it went in but after it comes out, if you press on your food, it will turn into a powder. This can't be just any vacuum, either, it has to be able to suck down to within 2 or 3/1000ths of a PSI of a complete vacuum. Most vacuum machines, except for the ones that were designed specifically for this, will not pull down this far.

If you are still interested in the technology, you can get yourself one for a couple of thousand at...

The Hull Corporation
P.O. Box 187
3535 Davisville Road
Hatboro, PN 19040
215-672-7800
http://www.hullcorp.com/patent.html

Al

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2498)

---

Date: September 12, 1997 11:56 AM
Author: Al Durtschi (rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Why not use dry ice???


If you don't feel like using oxygen absorbers, why not use dry ice??? The carbon dioxide it gives off as it evaporates will displace the air in the bucket, getting rid of the oxygen. This is also the goal of nitrogen packing, but using dry ice is much easier and cheaper. Wrap 4 oz dry ice in a paper towel and put it in the bottom of a 6 gallon bucket before adding the dry food you are storing. Leave the lid on loosely for a couple of hours, giving the dry ice time to evaporate. You can check this by feeling the bottom of the bucket. If it is no longer icy cold, the dry ice has evaporated. It's now safe to seal the lid. (1 lb of dry ice yields 8.3 cubic feet of carbon dioxide gas.)

Info taken from a page at http://waltonfeed.com/self/plan.html

Al

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=2499)