Food storage meals are usually created using one of two techniques: freeze drying or dehydrating
. Both processes help preserve the taste, vitamins, and texture of the original meal. These processes also give food storage meals a greatly extended shelf live which makes them a life-saving product during catastrophes and natural disasters when all other food has been wiped out.
Freeze drying is one of the top techniques used in creating food storage. To freeze dry foods the meals are first flash frozen. They are then placed in a vacuum chamber where approximately 98 percent of the food's moisture is evaporated. The moisture is drawn off by evaporating the ice. Sometimes temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit are used in this process.
Once the appropriate amount of moisture is evaporated, the food is placed in oxygen and moisture proof packaging. This packaging keeps the food fresh until it's opened. Freeze drying is a great technique for preserving food because once the food is reconstituted it gains back its original appearance and taste. Freeze dried foods can also be stored at room temperature, which means that you do not have to waste precious freezer or refrigerator space storing them.
Dehydration is another way to preserve all of the original nutritional value and taste of meals that will be turned into food storage. They also have their moisture removed using a highly sophisticated and complicated drying process. The packaging for dehydrated food is important to helping it maintain an incredibly long shelf-life.
Dehydrated food is packed in enameled cans that help prevent the cans from rusting and corroding. They are also sealed with an inert atmosphere that helps preserve the food for an extraordinarily long time. Some companies place a packet of "oxygen absorber" on the top of the food before sealing the can as well.