APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DEHYDRATING BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS

摘要

An apparatus and method for microwave vacuum-drying of temperature- sensitive biological materials on a continuous flow-through basis, in which the materials are frozen, ground to frozen particles, dehydrated to a powder, and the powder collected. The apparatus (10) has a microwave generator (12) and waveguide (14), a freezing chamber (46) with a grinder (52), a rotatable dehydration chamber (18) in or adjacent to the waveguide, and a powder collector (82) to receive the powdered biological material. The apparatus operates under reduced pressure provided by a vacuum system (92) coupled to the powder collector (82).