Freeze Dried Blueberry

Blueberry resists drying processes because of its waxy skin. Controlled blast freezing applied before freeze-drying makes the intracellular water freeze as small crystals, so the skin does not crack during sublimation and the berry keeps its integrity.

The dark purple-black colour comes from anthocyanin pigments, and these compounds degrade rapidly with heat. Because it is processed at low temperature, both colour density and the characteristic sweet-tart profile are retained. The texture offers a lightly crisp skin outside and a porous structure inside.

Whole berries are used in breakfast cereals, muesli, bakery products and snack mixes; powder is used in smoothie blends, milk-powder based beverages, supplement formulations and natural colouring applications.

In applications requiring rehydration the product rapidly absorbs several times its weight in liquid; this water uptake must be accounted for in dough and filling systems.