Caring parents can naturally become worried about the health of their children’s’ food habits. This coupled with the increase in popularity of freeze dried candies, many kids have most likely requested freeze-dried sweets in recent months. A sharp rise in “freeze-dried candy” keyword searches has been recorded over the past three months by Google Trends.
It is likely that the fad may be a widespread phenomenon fed by YouTube channels with culinary, science, and slime-related themes. However, one thing is clear: the demand for freeze dried hard candies for a safer snack is getting a lot of attention.
Let’s address these questions to provide the simple and relevant information you may be looking for.
- What are freeze dried candies?
- What is the general sentiment on freeze drying?
- Can you try it at home?
What Are Freeze-Dried Candies?
Many might expect the taste of freeze-dried candies to be changed during processing, but they would be surprisingly wrong! Essentially, freeze-dried sweets have the same flavor as their regular counterparts. The main distinctions between conventional candy and freeze dried candy are shape and texture.
When looking for photos, you will see that freeze dried candy puffs out as it is processed, making candies like freeze-dried Skittles look more like little, multicolored clams with seafoam emerging from their shells! Because water expands when frozen, (as you may recall from high school chemistry or dealing with broken pipes in the winter!) and freeze drying requires freezing temperatures, the candies will freeze before the moisture is removed.
What Is The General Sentiment On Freeze Drying?
The reasons for utilizing the freeze drying process serve many different purposes. Despite these many uses for freeze drying, you are most likely familiar with consuming items like freeze dried fruit slices, the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, and “astronaut ice cream.” Many industries have embraced this method of preserving their products with freeze drying, including pharmaceutical companies for important medications!
In the freeze-drying process, the temperature is one of the most crucial elements for success. Depending on the product, the meal or ingredient is chilled to become frozen solid. The food is then dried from two cycles of pressure release and heat application. The meal has next to no water content at the end of the procedure. The results make sense to use for many edible applications.
Take beef jerky, for example. Food that has been dehydrated using high heat is chewy, while food that has been freeze dried simply rehydrates or melts on your tongue. However, using heat to dry food tends to caramelize any included sugars and increase the toughness of the final product.
Could you try it at home?
The quick answer is yes! Sort of. You may purchase a freeze dryer for home use, with some of the smallest models fitting on your countertop. However, the price only increases with different pumps and greater diameters. With heat drying, you can substitute industrial machines using your oven and some clever timing, although for freeze drying there is no method to recreate the process by any other means.
In essence, to make freeze dried food at home (or to establish a freeze-dried food company!), you would need to be ready to make some hefty investments of both time and money. Taking the next step toward starting your freeze dried food business is NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Give us a call today at (800) 497-8321 to speak with professionals here at Shepherd Foods for more information and solutions that can help.
More Benefits of Freeze Dried Candies
As mentioned earlier, freeze dried candies are lighter, softer, and usually larger due to their puffed up state. Great pressure can be put on children’s teeth as they bite down on hard candies that then suddenly break into pieces. Of course, this stress is not healthy for them, especially as their adult teeth come in and are only beginning to mature. Freeze dried candies are more crunchy than they are hard, and also make for a fun treat experience!
Additionally, children with braces will have a lot less work cut out for them, since the candy is more likely to dissolve in their mouths. While the sugar will no doubt remain on their teeth and need to be brushed away (including behind the brackets and bands), the likelihood of missing a stubborn chunk of sticky candy is next to none.
What Does This Mean For My Business?
As a freeze dried food supplier, it might just be as simple as adding freeze dried candies to your lineup. If you are new to the freeze dried food industry altogether, let our team of experts be your guide. With our professional facility of industry grade machinery and packaging capabilities, you can choose Shepherd Foods to score sale after sale of delicious products from your consumers.
For more information on our co-packing and co-manufacturing services, give us a call today at (800) 497-8321.
