Bolaike Completes Australian Oatmeal Freeze-Drying Test: Moisture Content Only 0.79%, Texture Close to Freshly Cooked After Rehydration

Recently, Jiangsu Bolaike Refrigeration Technology Development Co., Ltd. completed a freeze-drying process test for Australian imported oatmeal commissioned by a client. The test results showed that the freeze-dried oatmeal formed a loose, porous solid block, retaining the milky white color of cooked oatmeal, with a moisture content of only 0.79%. It rehydrated into a porridge state within seconds when mixed with hot water, with a texture very close to freshly cooked oatmeal, fully verifying the feasibility and advantages of freeze-drying technology in processing porridge and soup-type materials.

Oatmeal is a high-moisture, semi-liquid material. During freeze-drying, incomplete freezing or rapid heating can easily cause collapse and difficulty in rehydration. Bolaike's technical team developed a matched freeze-drying process plan for these characteristics.

During the test, technicians first cooked Australian imported oatmeal into porridge, then evenly spread it into material trays while hot, with thickness controlled at 1 to 2 cm. Spreading thickness is one of the key factors affecting freeze-drying efficiency—thinner spreading results in higher efficiency. After spreading, trays were directly loaded into the freeze-drying chamber.

Temperature parameters were then set: the freezing stage was set at -30°C for 180 minutes to ensure complete freezing of the entire tray of oatmeal porridge; the heating stage maximum temperature was controlled at 45°C. After setting the program, the equipment was started. The entire freeze-drying process lasted 1,440 minutes. After material temperatures all exceeded 45°C, the material was removed from the chamber.

The oatmeal porridge after removal became a whole block of loose, porous solid, still the milky white color of cooked porridge, with no yellowing or browning. Testing showed a moisture content of only 3%, indicating ideal dryness. Technicians took a small piece and rehydrated it with hot water; it dissolved within seconds, returning to a porridge state with a texture very close to freshly cooked oatmeal.

Bolaike's technical team summarized that the key to freeze-drying porridge and soup-type materials lies in matching the freezing and heating rhythms—spread thinner, freeze thoroughly, and raise temperature slowly, so the finished product is loose and easy to rehydrate. Bolaike's industrial freeze dryer achieves precise temperature control throughout the freeze-drying process, with shelf temperature deviation controlled within ±1°C, ensuring uniform heating of materials without localized overheating or uneven drying, providing stable and reliable technical support for freeze-drying porridge and soup-type materials.

As a globally renowned industrial freeze-drying equipment manufacturer, Bolaike has accumulated more than 200 patents. It is a technology-leading enterprise in China's food freeze-drying equipment field and the only freeze-drying equipment enterprise in the country to have won the highest science and technology awards of both Shandong and Jiangsu provinces. The company's technical accumulation can be traced back to 2003. Its products cover a full range of models with freeze-drying areas from 0.5 square meters to 200 square meters, widely used in food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology fields. Bolaike's Xinshidai Freeze-Drying Technology Research Institute has established joint training bases and strategic cooperative relationships with universities such as Jiangnan University and China Agricultural University.

The success of this oatmeal freeze-drying test further expands the application scenarios of Bolaike's freeze-drying equipment in processing porridge, soup, and similar materials. If you also have porridge or soup-type materials requiring freeze-drying equipment or process testing, you are welcome to leave a comment below, or send samples to Bolaike for experiments. Bolaike can provide full-process technical support from process testing to equipment customization.