The Effect of Freeze Drying on Vitamins

While freeze drying foods has many convenience benefits (less weight, longer storage, less spoilage), the process does not have much of an effect on the vitamins in foods treated this way, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

The Facts

• Freeze drying removes water and oxygen from foods, which helps preserve them, but does not significantly affect the nutritional value. Once re-hydrated and consumed, freeze-dried foods retain almost all of their nutrients and are able to reach the human bloodstream.

The Research

• Dr. Gary Stoner, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at Ohio State University, has researched freeze drying for more than 20 years, and has learned that freeze-dried fruits retain almost all of their nutrients when compared to fresh fruit. His research has found that freeze-dried fruit helped prevent colon tumors.

Better Than Suppplements

• Vitamins are more effective when combined with other nutrients.

  Getting your vitamins via whole foods is healthier than simply taking a particular vitamin, antioxidant or other nutrient by itself, because eating a whole berry, for example, allows all of the fruit's nutrients to provide a superior result. "Studies show that the substances in foods working together are more effective than any one in isolation," he said at an AICR annual research conference.

A New Medical Treatment?

• Dr. Stoner is so positive about the efficacy of freeze-dried fruits as a cancer treatment, he is developing an aerosol spray made from them as a possible treatment for lung cancer.

Bottom Line

• Freeze-dried foods offer convenience, help you save money and let you do so without worrying about the loss of nutritional benefits.