Freeze-drying solution to extend the shelf life of bovine colostrum

As we all know, the immune system of newborn calves is not fully developed at birth, and colostrum, as the calf's "first meal", is an important material guarantee for its immunity. Colostrum contains high concentrations of immunoglobulins and growth factors, which can help calves quickly build immunity and promote growth and development. However, over time, the composition of cows' milk will gradually change, and the nutrient content will be reduced to that of ordinary milk. In this case, how to effectively store colostrum, ensure the retention rate of nutrients and extend the storage time has become a key issue. The freeze-drying technology used by the freeze dryer provides a key solution. Through a specific process, colostrum can retain its nutrients well during the freeze-drying process, continuously contributing to the healthy growth of calves.

Freeze-drying process of colostrum:

1. Pretreatment: First filter the fresh colostrum through a sterile filter to remove impurities, and then pack it into freeze-drying trays with a thickness of 1-2 cm to ensure uniform drying.

2. Freezing treatment: Put the packed colostrum into the freeze dryer and quickly freeze it to -40°C to ensure that the colostrum is completely frozen to avoid damage to the cell structure and loss of active ingredients.

3. Freeze-drying treatment: After the freezing treatment is completed, the freeze dryer will reduce the pressure and put the chamber in a vacuum state. In a vacuum environment, the boiling point of water is changed, and the ice crystals in the colostrum are directly sublimated into water vapor by slowly heating the tray. The temperature at this stage is usually controlled between -20°C and -10°C. After the above stages, there is still a small amount of bound water in the colostrum, and the freeze dryer will continue to heat up to 20 to 30°C to further remove this water until the water content of the colostrum is less than 3%.

4. Packaging: After freeze-drying, the colostrum has a powdery texture and is loose and porous. It can be ground into finer pieces and then sealed in a sealed package. It can be stored for a long time without refrigeration or adding preservatives.

It is worth mentioning that the freeze-dried colostrum can be restored to its fresh state after being rehydrated. It can be seen that through freeze-drying technology, the nutritional value and functionality of colostrum can not only be well preserved, but also the problems of storage and transportation can be solved. It is believed that with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous growth of market demand, freeze-dried milk powder will bring people a healthier and better life experience.