Dehydration, or drying, is one of the oldest and gentlest methods of food preservation. Food preservation works by removing only the water. Almost all other nutrients remain and become highly concentrated. Dehydrated foods are highly nutritious, easy to prepare and store, and light weight to ship.
Our fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of their ripeness, cleaned and trimmed, then gently dried below 104 degrees so they are still considered raw after dehydration is complete. The meat and egg ingredients are dehydrated at a high enough temperature to kill any pathogenic bacteria that may be present and the required temperature for this is above 120 degree F. This makes them safe for human consumption, a requirement for entry into the human food facility where our products are made. Raw meat and bones may be added to our foods if you wish.
Just add warm water! Once hydrated, dried foods resemble fresh food in terms of appearance, palatability and nutritional value.
The removal of moisture prevents enzymatic activity, which can lead to browning and decomposition of foods and also prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast and molds. Dehydration does not destroy or kill the food enzymes, as occurs in cooking and freezing or high pressure processing, such as extrusion. Enzyme activity in dehydrated foods is simply suspended until the food is re-hydrated.