There are three basic components of any freeze dryer. These components are the product chamber, the condenser and the vacuum pump. Each component is vital for the functionality of the freeze dryer. There are two basic types of product chambers, one for vials and one for trays (bulk). If a product is relatively sophisticated, chemically complicated, subject to resale or aseptic processing then a vial system would be favorable. This method allows operators to have ultimate control over the parameters that drive the freeze drying process. When a product is processed in a vial dryer, the liquidized product is filled into vials and loaded onto the shelf trays of the freeze dryer. There, the product is pre-frozen to a temperature slightly below the freezing point of the product, also called the eutectic point. During primary drying, the vacuum pump of a freeze dryer removes the non-condensable vapors. These vapors are created by leaks in the equipment and the constant release of non-condensable molecules from the product as the freeze drying progresses. The use of the vacuum pump establishes a free vapor path for migrating condensable molecules by removing the air from the chamber.

On the basis of application, the global freeze drying equipment market is segmented into pharmaceutical, biotechnology, biomedical, food processing and others. The food processing segment held the largest market share in 2020, while the biotechnology segment is poised to show the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Freeze-dried foods may advance the institutional food service industry from today's "frozen era" to a "dehydrated era" in the next few years. Advances in food processing technology have already enabled processors to place on today's market freeze-dried soups, salads, entrees, sauces, vegetables, and beverages. The disadvantages of freeze-dried foods today are the high cost of utilizing the products and the lack of users’ knowledge of how to prepare them. These disadvantages, however, are expected to be overcome in the foreseeable future.

The lyophilized pharmaceutical sector is encountering and will need to continue adapting to an increasing number of patient-driven trends and drivers. These factors include single-use technologies, self-administered medical devices, and an increased globalization of manufacturing facilities to decrease the time and distance to end consumers. In turn, more indirect trends and drivers (viewed from a patient perspective) include reducing manufacturing process time, simplifying changes to processes, and increasing process efficiency. All of these trends and drivers, when addressed will enable manufacturers to provide patients with cost effective, efficacious treatments.

Asia Pacific is the largest and fastest growing market for freeze drying equipment. The Indian food processing industry is ranked fifth among the other industries in India. Nearly, one third of the entire Indian food market share comprises of processed food. With policy measures from the government, the food processing industry accounts for a major share of the country's exports. Indians spend half of their household expenditure on food items at present. The industry also creates employment opportunities for millions of people.

India’s population is growing and so is the economy, and with that the resultant demand for food and beverages is also increasing. This is driving the growth and expected growth of the organised and packaged food and beverage sector. This is also an area where there is considerable potential for innovation and value addition as also the scope for value creation through reduction in waste. Food processing in India was earlier limited to food preservation, packaging and transportation. However, over the last two decades, certain sections of the industry have evolved to meet global standards through technological advancements. Developments such as establishment of cold storage facilities, food parks, packaging centres, irradiation centers and modernized abattoir have helped the sector make significant strides but these still cater to a small fraction of the food production. A number of policy and procedural initiatives are required to give impetus to this sector. Despite constraints linked to infrastructure, market access and funding, dynamic businesses operating in this sector have made their mark on the global stage.