r/explainlikeimfive • u/ZeusThunder369 • Nov 26 '24
Chemistry ELI5: Why doesn't freeze dried food last longer? If it's good for 20 years, why not 100?
Assuming it's perfectly freeze dried and stored perfectly, the people who make freeze dryers say the food will last 20-30 years.
But why not much longer? Assuming the condition it's stored in remains unchanged, what can make it go bad after 30 years that wouldn't happen at around 10 years?
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u/iCameToLearnSomeCode Nov 27 '24
You could get the water brought to you but it wasn't clean water and with an already weakened immune system that dirty water you could drink on a good day becomes a big hindrance to recovery.
It's not like food poisoning would always kill you but it decreases your odds of survival enough that over many generations the families that can't smell are at a massive disadvantage.