Abstract: A process is provided for freeze-drying medicaments and foodstuffs comprising dissolving the foodstuffs or medicaments in a solvent, introducing the solution formed into a shell comprising a desiccating chamber of a shell-tube freeze-drying device to cause the solution to freeze in a tubular layer, and crushing and comminuting the freeze-dried liquid with a comminuting device to obtain a powder product.

Abstract: A material blending tank 1 is formed in a pressure-resistant, and tightly closable vessel, in its inner cavity, into which predetermined quantities of starting materials are charged, followed by hermetically sealing the tank; a material adjusting tank 2 is formed in a large size, into which a predetermined quantity of solvent is filled so as to be able to pump out from its bottom part by means of a pump P; the pump P functioning to pressure-feeding the solvent pumped out of the material adjusting tank 2 into the inner cavity of the material blending tank 1 through its bottom side. In the course of the pressure-feeding of the solvent, when the air within the material blending tank 1 is compressed to a high pressure level, the operation of the pump P is stopped and the solvent which has been pressure-fed into the material blending tank 1 is subjected to reverse flow through the inner cavity of the pump P into the material adjusting tank 2 by the pressure of the air compressed in the material blending tank 1.

Abstract: There is provided a method for obtaining powder product by freeze-drying of liquid material, through various process steps, which comprises: adjusting starting materials into a liquid form; distributively feeding the thus adjusted liquid material for its freeze-drying; desiccating the liquid material by means of a freeze-drying device; pulverizing the thus desiccated liquid material into fine powder product by a pulverizing and comminuting device. In this freeze-drying means, the connection or joining point between the adjacent process steps, where the maintenance of the sterilized condition and the prevention of risk of contamination are complicated and troublesome, is isolated from the external atmosphere, while maintaining the whole system in the state of the continuous operations being made possible between the adjacent process steps, thereby enabling the maintenance of the sterilized conditions and the prevention of risk of contamination to be effectively realized.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a starting material adjusting apparatus for preparing the starting materials in the form of slurry, wherein no use is made of an agitator which is expensive in its installation cost and troublesome in its cleaning, thereby making it possible to perfectly dissolve the starting materials into solvent, and to obtain homogeneous slurry as a whole, in a short period of time.