Frozen vs. Freeze Dried

Captain Hook

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Aug 21, 2003
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Just wondering if there is a difference in the two in terms of nutrition. I think both frozen and freeze dried are supposed to keep the nutrients in but not sure. Anyone offer any info?
 
I think frozen foods would be fresher than freeze dried. Frozen food probably has less of a shelf life.
 
I believe Joe is correct. They remove the water so the product lasts longer. As for nutritional value...???
 
Theoretically the nutritional content should be the same in both methods. The percentages (amount of protein, fat, etc) may not be equal in both because the frozen foods will contain much more moisture than the freeze dried. However technically the actual amount (weight) of each ingredient should be the same for each type of food. I hope this is not too confusing.
 
Joe interesting that you believe freeze dried would last longer. I would think frozen food would last for a very long time as long you keep it frozen. Would freeze dried go stale after you open it, like flakes do?
 
Frozen will suffer from freezer burn opened or not, after the seal is broken it will be worse. Freeze dried will also oxidize once exposed to the air (moisture) after opening/breaking the seal). Treat both as you do flake - buy small containers rather than large if at all possible. Yes it costs more, but it is also worth more to me.
 
Thanks for the input RTR. I thought freeze dried would expire similar to flakes. Could I avoid freezer burn by having the frozen food in a sealed ziploc, then wrapped in a shopping bag?
 
Two heavy (freezer) ziplocks would be better, but every time time you open to use it, you add fresh oxygen.

For my DIY frozen veggies I divide the stuff frozen single layer on a cookie sheet (when herself is away) into double small ziplocks. I'd rather waste bags than feed burned food.

For the large cans of Tetra's FD Krill (individual crustacean size is related to can size), when I opened the can I divided them into small double baggies and freeze all but one also.

Even with my number of tanks (25 right now), I generally get pretty small sizes of everything. I rotate through a variety of foods and want them as fresh as possible.
 
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Another great method for freezing food that's worked well for me. I have one of those home vaccum sealers. I buy the big lots, but open them and put them in a vaccum sealed bag on purchase, keeping about one weeks worth out in a tupperware container in the freezer. I just pull more out of the vaccum sealed bags as needed, and then reseal the bag. I used to put them all in the tupperware, but had lots of frost build up, and visible freezer burn on the blood worms. Since I started putting it in the vaccum selaed bags, I haven't had any frost, nor burn. I do the same thing for fresh veggies.
 
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