Batch size has a massive impact on how you need to run your freeze dryer.

• There's no perfect recipe, because there are a lot of variables

• Treating your process like there is a golden recipe, is a ticket to inconsistent results

• So it's REALLY important to track data and dial it in specific to how your freeze dryer responds to your batches

• Different batch sizes and strains need to be dried differently

It's more valuable to think about recipes as relationships, rather than rigid things that are set in stone.

(Let's say you have two diff batch sizes and want to achieve the same level of dryness)

At the same shelf temp…

• Bigger batches need longer to dry

• Smaller batches need less time to dry

If you want to achieve the same dry time…

• Bigger batches need higher shelf temps

• Smaller batches need lower shelf temps

As long as you understand that relationship, you’re on the right path. You’re on a much better path than if you were just taking in a recipe and running that over and over again without thinking critically about the process.

There’s no shortcut to the perfect recipe (but we are trying to build one). It requires measuring your batch times, temps, and comparing it to quality later when you have the final result.

It’s a blend of data and your qualitative analysis.

Some things that aren't talked about so much

• Harvest Right Small, Medium, Large, XL, and HRC all pull out moisture at different rates because they have very different surface areas inside of their chambers

• So that's yet another thing to factor in when you're developing recipes

• A 200g batch will dry differently in a Medium freeze dryer and a XL freeze dryer

• We think the larger FDs pull out moisture faster due to their larger surface areas, so smaller batches may need less time in very large FDs… but test for yourself (and let us know what you find)

Recipe development for different batch sizes

Small Batch (<100g):

• Lower shelf temps (15-20°F)

• Shorter cycles (4-10hrs extra dry)

• How you load it/spread out over the tray isn’t that critical

Medium Batch (100-300g):

• Slightly higher shelf temps (20-30°F)

• Start to see much longer drying times (10-20hrs extra dry)

• More attention to spreading out evenly to avoid hotspots

Large Batch (300g+):

• Higher shelf temps (30-40°F)

• Way way way longer cycles (24hrs+ is common)

• Critical to make sure your trays are loaded as even as possible, otherwise one can dry way faster than others (you can also let this happen and move the done ones out, and the ones that need more time into a “finishing” dryer)

• More careful monitoring to hit optimal dryness

All of this can be done manually with spreadsheets or paper notes.

Or you can let HashyLink do it for you and we’ll help you dial in your batches. It logs all of this data automatically in the background, which makes it way easier to tune your batches and freeze dryer like a race car.

Shoot us a message or join our Discord if you have any questions on batch sizing or want us to help you get dialed in.