It’s no secret that freeze-dried foods are gaining popularity in the human and pet industries. So what’s so special about this food? Here is everything you need to know about this innovative food preservation technology, along with a few tips on how to make it work for you! Read more below.

Freeze-drying is a popular method of preservation that has been around for a long time. Simply put, freeze-drying removes the water from the raw product and doesn’t require the addition of any preservatives because its low moisture content isn’t a hospitable environment for microorganisms.

Freeze-drying of food is not a new technology and has been around since the early 1900’s; however it is relatively new in pet food manufacturing. Freeze-drying is one of the most important ways of preserving heat-sensitive biological materials and is widely used in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and the production and stabilization of food for humans and pets.

Freeze-drying provides the convenience of dry food insofar as it is shelf stable and can be fed straight from the bag. Where it differs is that it isn’t subjected to the extremes in temperature that processed pet foods have. Because of this, it is a far healthier, more convenient pet food and a treat option.

Freeze-drying (also known as lyophilisation) is a two-stage process. The first stage quickly freezes down the raw material at temperatures as low as -40 to -70°C. Once the material is frozen, the water is removed through gentle evaporation at low pressure and temperature. This phase is called sublimation. This process removes most of the water, leaving the rest of the raw material dormant and preserved. This process is unique as the nutritional component of a food (or active element of a pharmaceutical) is retained while its shelf life is extended. Thanks to the relatively fast removal of moisture (when comparing freeze-drying to other drying techniques), it preserves the integrity of the raw material, while removing moisture renders the natural bacteria that would otherwise degrade the material over time as dormant and unable to do so. Once the material is rehydrated, it returns to its natural state to be used as the biologically active raw material it once was.

OVERVIEW OF THE THREE-STEP PROCESS OF FREEZE-DRYING:

PET FOOD PROCESSING – MOST TO LEAST NUTRITION RETAINED

There are various types of pet food processing methods developed to extend shelf life and increase consumer convenience, and each of these processing methods has an overall impact on nutrition. A summary of these is as follows:

IS FREEZE-DRIED FOOD GOOD FOR DOGS?

Freeze-dried dog food can be a good option for pet parents who are interested in feeding their pets raw food but want a safer or more convenient option.
“What's nice about freeze-dried food is that the moisture has been removed, making the risks of exposure to pathogens that are typically associated with raw food lower than traditional raw food in many cases; however, it still retains all the nutrient benefits of raw food,” Dr. Wooten told The Dodo.

BENEFITS OF FREEZE-DRIED DOG FOOD

According to Dr. Bonk, “Freeze-dried dog food is less processed than commercial kibble that is cooked and pressed, so most believe it is a more nutritious option.” And since freeze-dried food is technically still raw, your dog gets the same benefits from freeze-dried food as he would get from raw food. Plus, since it’s dried out, you have a smaller chance of encountering bacteria that can make your pup (and you) sick. Moreover, natural food without any additives or preservatives is easily digestive. Therefore, fewer side effects, such as allergies, eye leakage, or other health problems, can be observed when feeding raw food.

Some of the potential health benefits of freeze-dried dog food include:

WHO CAN EAT OUR FREEZE-DRIED DOG FOOD ‘BITES’?

Dogs of all shapes and sizes can enjoy our food. All adult dogs and puppies can enjoy our Beef and Turkey recipes.

THE PRO’S OF FREEZE-DRIED PET FOOD

Convenience – Straight from the bag into your pet’s bowl, freeze-dried food is perfect for travel and treats when fresh raw food isn’t convenient or accessible. We recommend that water be added to freeze-dried food when being fed as a complete meal, or ensure your pet has access to ample fresh water.

Shelf Life – Food in its raw state needs to be used within a few days. Just like the meat we buy from the supermarket for our own consumption, fresh raw food goes bad within a few days – even in the fridge. The beauty of freeze drying is that the moisture found in raw food is removed to levels where the food is no longer susceptible to spoilage in the same manner as food in its raw state. The shelf life of the food is thereby increased without the need to use any nasty chemicals, high temperatures that can damage the nutrition in the food, or preservation techniques like radiation to sterilise the food.

Taste (or palatability) – Freeze-dried food is highly palatable for pets and is a fantastic option for anyone wanting to transition their pet from a processed diet to a healthier diet, but are struggling to entice their pet to eat it. As Australia’s first commercial manufacturer of raw food diets, we have found that that the longer a pet has been eating a heavily processed diet like kibbled or canned food, the harder the transition process may be. It’s like looking at the diet of a human who has eaten a highly processed diet for the majority of their adult life (think deep-fried carby, fatty foods; fish and chips, pizza, fried chicken and burgers), then is told they can only eat a healthy non-processed diet from now on (think lean protein and vegetables, salads, fruit and nuts). It takes time to adjust to such a big dietary change and begin to enjoy what healthy food tastes like. It’s the same with our pets and why we recommend our freeze-dried food as a great option to use when transitioning pets to a healthy raw food diet. Not because it’s heavily processed, but the removal of moisture does increase the palatability of the food. The texture, as a “dry food”, is also more similar to kibble so dogs that are used to a crunchy food often respond better to freeze-dried in the beginning. Over time, as your pet starts enjoying the freeze-dried food, you can begin integrating the raw food.

If you have a fussy eater who you’d like to switch to a healthier diet but they simply look at their bowl and walk away, then consider freeze-dried food as an option. Even pets with poor appetites as well as picky eaters generally like the taste of freeze-dried food.

Nutrition – When looking at different dried food options, freeze-dried food retains the highest nutrient content of any other type of processing. A 2021 study comparing the antioxidant levels of Black Goji Berries found that freeze-drying preserved 5 times more of the beneficial antioxidants than hot air-drying.

Even the most delicate nutrients, probiotics, contained within freeze-dried foods survive the freeze-drying process far better than they would, if exposed to heat. Heat destroys these beneficial micro-organisms, rendering their inclusion in the food to begin with, completely pointless so if you’re looking for a dry food option, rich in probiotics for your pet’s gut health and immune system, freeze-dried food is the way to go.

Less Ick Factor – Not everyone enjoys feeding their pet a fresh, raw food diet (and let’s not even mention the smell that fills the room after a tin of wet pet food is opened… *gag*). Raw food diets are wet, bloody, smell like raw meat and they aren’t to everyone’s liking. For people who want the goodness of a raw food diet for their pet, without the whole raw-food-experience, freeze-dried complete and balanced pet food is a great alternative.

Transitioning – As mentioned when discussing taste, freeze-dried food is more palatable than fresh raw food. Although raw food is highly palatable for pets, especially if this is the only diet they know, when transitioning from a processed pet food diet, freeze-dried is the perfect gateway food. It can also help to minimise waste as transitioning should be a slow process to get the pet used to the new flavour of the food, as well as minimising any tummy upsets that are common when people transition between different types of food too quickly. We recommend including only 20% of a new diet with meals for a few days, then increasing in increments of 20% every few days until the new diet is 100% of the diet. This takes roughly 2 weeks and for people with small pets, there is the potential of a great deal of wasted fresh food during this time. Freeze-dried food, because of its shelf life, can help alleviate this problem until raw food can be fed in greater amounts where wastage is no longer an issue.

THE CON’S OF FREEZE-DRIED PET FOOD

Cost – Freeze-drying, despite being relatively quicker than air drying or dehydration, still takes time and expensive machinery. For this reason, feeding a diet that is 100% freeze-dried (if the diet is complete and balanced and the ingredients are good quality) would be more costly than a fresh, raw food diet. Feeding partly freeze-dried with your preferred pet food product is a great way to provide extra nutrition for your dog without the cost of feeding a freeze-dried diet 100% of the time.

Lack of moisture – Fresh raw diets are naturally rich in moisture and hydrating for the pet. They’re basically consuming water as part of their meals which is great for their kidneys and for overall hydration, especially in warmer weather. All dry food lacks moisture and while access to plenty of fresh drinking water allows the pet to rehydrate voluntarily, we do recommend adding water to freeze-dried food to rehydrate it back to its raw, high-moisture state.

Not as much choice – Because of the cost to produce, there isn’t the variety and availability of options with freeze-dried foods in the way there is with raw food diets. A way around this is to co-feed some freeze-dried and some complete and balanced raw food to make up your pets’ varied diet. You may also decide to use freeze-dried food as treats or when traveling and use raw food the bulk of the time for meals. Choosing ZENOO freeze-dried dog food gives you the peace of mind that not only are you feeding a complete and balanced nutrient-dense product as a treat, but our one-protein recipes also give a chance to avoid allergic reactions to a particular protein.

When all is said and done, there is no question that freeze-dried raw dog food provides the easiest and healthiest way to feed your pet. It will benefit his or her health and save you a lot of time!