Freeze dried food going stale? - Ask Extension
I have a freeze dryer and a chamber vacuum sealer. When I do some freeze dried meals, particularly meals with potatoes or carrots, they taste stale wh...
Knowledgebase
Freeze dried food going stale? #890022
Asked November 19, 2024, 9:07 AM EST
I have a freeze dryer and a chamber vacuum sealer. When I do some freeze dried meals, particularly meals with potatoes or carrots, they taste stale when rehydrated. Some packages I have rehydrated lost there seal because of micro holes, but some did not. Age does not seem to make a difference either. Though the oldest one I had was two years. But even at six months it would still taste stale. Nothing else seemed wrong, all the meals where still 100% dry and I never got sick from them.
I put in oxygen adsorber in the package could that have something todo with the taste?
Josephine County Oregon
Expert Response
You have a good question, and I am not sure I have a definite answer for you. You say you notice it with potatoes and carrots. Did you blanch them before your processed them. Vegetables can keep on maturing even during storage so that might be a cause. Also did you package them right away after they were done. They reabsorb moisture and flavors quickly once the process is done. You might also try storing in different containers like glass canning jars and vacuum seal them with the oxygen absorbers. Also store in a cool location under 70 degrees and in the dark.
If it was all foods, it would be different but just a few. Was it a particular variety of produce you used that caused the off flavor or all varieties? Keep a little record of your observations and maybe you can figure it out. Sometimes it is that we are not use to the flavor of certain freeze-dried products. Like the difference between frozen and canned produce.
This process is so new for home use that there isn't a lot of information out there. You might try googling Utah State University Extension and send a message to them. They are probably the leading university for research on home freeze dryers.
Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck. It is probably not a safety issue unless there is moisture that got into the bags during storage.
Thanks for using Ask Extension
Nellie Oehler
If it was all foods, it would be different but just a few. Was it a particular variety of produce you used that caused the off flavor or all varieties? Keep a little record of your observations and maybe you can figure it out. Sometimes it is that we are not use to the flavor of certain freeze-dried products. Like the difference between frozen and canned produce.
This process is so new for home use that there isn't a lot of information out there. You might try googling Utah State University Extension and send a message to them. They are probably the leading university for research on home freeze dryers.
Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck. It is probably not a safety issue unless there is moisture that got into the bags during storage.
Thanks for using Ask Extension
Nellie Oehler
