1、 Equipment purchase cost
Price range: Ordinary household freeze dryers are generally priced at over 10000 yuan, while high-end models (such as low-temperature refrigeration models) can reach 30000 to 40000 yuan, with some requiring additional purchase of vacuum pumps and other accessories.
Applicable scenarios: Low price models are suitable for freeze-drying a small amount of fruits and vegetables, while high price models can handle high value-added products such as meat and medicinal herbs.
2、 Electricity consumption cost
Single power consumption
A single freeze-drying operation requires continuous operation for 20-24 hours, and the power consumption varies depending on the model power:
750W model: approximately 18 kWh/time (0.75kW x 24h);
1100W model: approximately 26.4 kWh/time (1.1kW x 24h).
Calculated at 0.6 yuan per kilowatt hour, the cost of a single electricity bill is 10.8-15.8 yuan.
Unit product cost
Taking freeze-dried strawberries as an example: Processing 10kg fresh strawberries into 1.5kg freeze-dried strawberries consumes about 11 kWh of electricity and costs about 3 yuan/kg of electricity.
3、 Raw material loss cost
Fruits and vegetables: Approximately 6-7kg of fresh fruit is needed to produce 1kg of freeze-dried finished product (with a loss rate of over 85%).
Meat/vegetables: The loss rate is relatively low (about 2% -5%), but additional calculation of raw material waste costs is still required.
4、 Maintenance and additional costs
Equipment maintenance
The vacuum pump requires regular replacement of lubricating oil, and the maintenance cost is approximately 80-100 yuan per 200 hours of operation (about 8 freeze-drying cycles).
Long term use may require replacement of sealing rings and other accessories, with an estimated annual maintenance cost of 200-500 yuan.
Time cost
The single freeze-drying process takes more than 24 hours, occupies household space, and users need to tolerate equipment operating noise.
5、 Comprehensive cost comparison
Cost type: Self made freeze-dried food, commercially available freeze-dried food
Strawberry freeze-drying (1kg) costs about 80-100 yuan (raw materials+electricity) and about 160 yuan (market price)
Meat freeze-drying (1kg) costs about 120-150 yuan (raw materials+electricity), about 200-300 yuan
Summary
The cost of using a household freeze dryer mainly includes:
High equipment purchase cost (10000-40000 yuan);
The single electricity fee is 10-16 yuan, and the raw material loss rate is 15% -85%;
Long term maintenance costs (approximately 200-500 yuan per year).
Its economy depends on the frequency of use and the type of processing:
High frequency use (such as once a week): Homemade freeze-dried food can save long-term expenses, especially for high priced categories (medicinal herbs, pet snacks);
Low frequency use: Commercial freeze-dried food has a higher cost-effectiveness.