freeze-drying

2 definitions found

freeze-drying - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Freeze-dry \Freeze"-dry`\ (fr[=e]z"-dr[imac]`), v. t. [imp. & p.
     p. Freeze-dried; p. pr. & vb. n. Freeze-drying.]
     to remove the moisture from (e.g. food) by first freezing and
     then subjecting to a high vacuum; -- used as a mild method
     for drying foods or chemicals while causing little
     decomposition, in contrast to heat-drying.
  
     Note: This is a relatively gently drying process used to
           preserve food or sensitive biological materials. For
           biochemical materials, the term {lyophilize} is often
           used.
           [PJC]

freeze-drying - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  freeze-drying
      n 1: a method of drying food or blood plasma or pharmaceuticals
           or tissue without destroying their physical structure;
           material is frozen and then warmed in a vacuum so that the
           ice sublimes [syn: freeze-drying, lyophilization,
           lyophilisation]