From Goji Berries To Sea Cucumbers SCIENTZ’s Freeze-Drying Tech Boosts Global Incomes

In Xinjiang's goji berry fields and cantaloupe vines, Changchun's (Jilin) deer farms, and Weihai's (Shandong) coasts, vacuum freeze-drying machines from Ningbo are quietly working their "freshness-preserving" magic.

Goji berries, deer antlers and blood, sea cucumbers, abalones-these farm products are "frozen" into light, long-lasting freeze-dried goods, filling local people's pockets.

This "Yongdong magic" has even reached Europe. On European chocolate factory production lines, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts, and egg yolks are turned into freeze-dried ingredients, giving chocolate a rich, tasty texture.

The "magician" behind this "freshness-preserving" trick is SCIENTZ (based in Zhenhai Zhaobao Smart Manufacturing Valley).

Lately, in the company's workshop, workers are rushing to build a huge vacuum freeze-drying machine-it's 14 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 4 meters tall. It has an amazing "appetite": it can "eat" 1 ton of fresh figs at once and turn them into freeze-dried products.

"The secret to the vacuum freeze-dryer's 'freshness-freezing' lies in super low temperatures and vacuum," said Yang Shuwei, General Manager of SCIENTZ. First, the water-containing farm products are quickly frozen to -40°C to -30°C. Then they're put in a vacuum. There, the solid ice turns directly into water vapor (sublimates), perfectly locking in the original shape and nutrients of the products. In the end, the water content is less than 5%.

No nutrient loss, no shape distortion, light weight, and long storage time-these features make freeze-dried products popular in the market. For farmers, this is a key to earning more money: their products can be stored longer, sold farther, with less waste and a longer supply chain.

After 10 years of hard work, SCIENTZ (a high-tech company focusing on R&D and production of vacuum freeze-drying equipment) has obtained 10 invention patents and even won honors like "Ningbo's First Manufacturing Product".

Now, the "Yongdong magic" isn't just for farms anymore. It also serves fields like biopharmaceuticals and pet food, working with research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University.

"Our machines can reach as low as -111°C. With this ability, their uses will keep expanding," Yang Shuwei said proudly.

With support from Zhaobao Smart Manufacturing Valley, SCIENTZ got a 7,000-square-meter "test room". Here, every machine goes through strict "freezing strength" tests before leaving the factory: checking that the thermal oil stays at -50°C, the cold trap at -70°C, and the sample at -20°C... Once they pass, these "freeze-drying experts" are sent to places all over the world.

In the first half of this year, SCIENTZ shipped 700 vacuum freeze-drying machines, with steady growth in output value. "We're confident to explore more uses for the 'Dongling Technique' and bring the 'Yongdong Magic' to more industries," Yang Shuwei said with assurance.