Freeze-drying, also known as lyophilisation, is a well known technique which extracts water in order to preserve solids. Nowadays, this technique is used to develop novel pharmaceuticals, biomaterials and a range of soft and hard tissues.
Freeze-drying allows gentle preservation, retaining the original 3D structure of a biomaterial or tissue which is important for graft-adherence when applied in the clinic.
After the freeze-drying procedure is completed, products can be stored at room temperature and generally have a longer shelf-life compared to non-freeze-dried products. In addition, this procedure omits the use of (chemical) conservatives and leaves a smaller carbon-footprint as the need for cold storage facilities is not required.
