Mass transfer evaluation of ultrasonic osmotic dehydration of cherry tomatoes in sucrose and salt solutions

In order to elaborate dehydration and osmotic equilibrium characteristics of cherry tomatoes and to analyse the applicability of Peleg model in prediction of equilibrium moisture content and the methodology of Crank’s solution to Fick’s diffusion law in calculation of effective diffusivity, cherry tomatoes were osmotically treated in ternary solution (water, sucrose and NaCl) with or without ultrasound at 30 °C. Results indicated that, a time cumulative effect of ultrasound occurred about 30 min for water loss (WL), while for sugar gain it happened after 45 min, which made the dehydration efficiency index best at the ultrasonic power of 150 W for 40 min. As a function of salt content, the equilibrium WL followed well the first order exponential decay model, and the equilibrium salt content followed well the second order polynomial. A great relative error (29.13%) between the practical determination and the predicted value indicated that Peleg model was not suitable for prediction of equilibrium moisture content. A great truncation error (865%) occurred when moisture effective diffusivity (6.66 × 10^?9 m² s^?1) was calculated with Crank’s solution to Fick’s diffusion law by letting n = 1 as compared to that (0.77 × 10^?9 m² s^?1) by letting n = 100.     

KINETICS OF OSMOTIC DEHYDRATION OF MANGO

The effects of sucrose syrup concentration (40–70 g/100‐g solution) and temperature (40–90C) on water loss and sucrose uptake by mango mesocarp slices during osmotic dehydration were investigated. The effective diffusivities for mass transfer were determined using the slope method based on the Fickian diffusion model. Water loss and sucrose uptake were proportional to the square root of osmotic contact time, implying that the process is Fickian. The specific mass transfer rate constants and effective diffusivities (D_e), derived from Fick's unsteady‐state diffusion equation, increased with temperature and sucrose syrup concentration. D_e values for water loss and sucrose uptake, which ranged between 2.59 × 10^?6 to 5.12 × 10^?6 m²/h and 1.70 × 10^?6 to 4.14 × 10^?6 m²/h, respectively, were related to absolute temperature using an Arrhenius‐type relationship. The activation energies, which fell in the range previously reported for diffusion‐controlled processes, increased with sucrose syrup concentration and varied from 9.74 to15.16 KJ/mol.     

Characterisation of osmotically dehydrated papaya with further hot air drying and microwave vacuum drying

Papaya was subjected to osmotic dehydration (OD) prior to hot air drying (HA; 70 °C) and microwave vacuum drying (MVD; 3.75 W g^?1 and 13.3 kPa). An increase in immersion time in a sucrose solution [65/100 g (w/w)] at 40 ± 2 °C from 0 to 4 h decreased moisture content from 7.5802 to 1.2215 kg water kg dry solid^?1. During HA and MVD, effective moisture diffusivity was in the range 7.09 × 10^?8 to 9.13 × 10^?8 m² s^?1 and 2.85 × 10^?6 to 3.50 × 10^?6 m² s^?1, respectively, depending on immersion time. The hue angle of HA samples was 0.83–0.91, whereas that of MVD samples was 48.55–50.32. Both drying methods decreased springiness. Porosity was clearly observed in MVD samples. Rehydration rate was enhanced by increased immersion time and MVD (P ≤ 0.05). From preference mapping, MVD samples were more preferable than HA samples. Moreover, MVD samples with 1–3 h OD were more preferable than those with 4 h OD.     

Osmotic dehydration of the Indian fig (Opuntia ficus indica) with binary and ternary solutions

The objective of this work was to study osmotic dehydration (OD) of the Indian fig with two binary solutions (sucrose/water and glucose/water) and a ternary solution (sucrose/NaCl/water) according to a 2³ factorial design with independent variables: temperature (30–50 °C), immersion time (90–240 min) and concentration (40–60 °Brix). The dependent variables were water loss (WL), solid gain (SG) and dehydration efficiency index. The temperature had greater influence on the WL in the three hypertonic solutions studied; the concentration had greater influence on the SG in the three hypertonic solutions investigated and the best conditions for the OD of the Indian fig were in glucose solution at 40 °Brix, 40 °C and 165 min.     

Osmotic Dehydration of Nectarines: Influence of the Operating Conditions and Determination of the Effective Diffusion Coefficients

The aim of the present work is to study the kinetics of osmotic dehydration of Caldesi nectarines (Prunus persica var. nectarina) evaluating the effect of osmotic solution concentration, type of solute, temperature, fruit/solute ratio and process time on moisture content, water loss, soluble solids content and solids gain. The process analysis was carried out experimentally and numerically through the mathematical modelling of mass transfer. Hypertonic solutions of glucose syrup and sorbitol (40 and 60 % w/w) were used for dehydration, during 2 h of process at temperatures of 25 and 40 °C, with fruit/osmotic agent ratio of 1:4 and 1:10. Water loss and solids gain showed significant differences depending on the type and concentration of the osmotic agent, process time and fruit/solution ratio. The concentration interacted significantly with all variables; in addition, there was an interaction between the type of osmotic agent and the relationship between fruit and the osmotic agent. The effective diffusion coefficients were obtained from the analytical solution of Fick’s second law applied to flat-plate geometry and by solving the mass transfer microscopic balances by finite element method, taking into account the real geometry of the nectarine pieces. The values obtained from Fick’s law varied between 1.27?×?10^?10 and 1.37?×?10^?08?m²?s^?1 for water and from 1.14?×?10^?10 to 1.08?×?10^?08?m²?s^?1 for soluble solids, while the values calculated by finite elements method ranges were between 0.70?×?10^?09 and 4.80?×?10^?09?m²?s^?1 for water and between 0.26?×?10^?09 and 1.70?×?10^?09?m²?s^?1 for soluble solids. The diffusion coefficients values obtained from the numerical solution are consistent with those published in literature.     

Osmotic dehydration of carrot tissue enhanced by pulsed electric field,salt and centrifugal force

The osmotic dehydration (OD) kinetics of carrot disc untreated and treated by pulsed electric field (PEF) was studied under centrifugation (2400 × g), stirring (250 rpm) and with a salt addition (NaCl/sucrose solutions 0%/65%, 5%/60% and 15%/50%). The PEF intensity was E = 0.60 kV/cm and the treatment duration was t_PEF = 0.05 s (500 rectangular monopolar pulses each of 100 μs). The water loss (WL), solids gain (SG) and water loss/solids gain ratios (WL/SG) were evaluated in the binary (sucrose + water) and ternary (sucrose + salt + water) solutions at the temperature of 20 °C during 4 h. The mass ratio of sample to solution was 1:3. The PEF treatment and salt addition enhanced the OD kinetics. WL and SG were increased under centrifugation (centrifugal OD) and under stirring (static OD). The centrifugal field enhanced the WL, however, decreased the SG comparing to the static OD. Therefore, the static OD has advantages for the higher SG (confectionary adds), while the centrifugal OD is better appropriated if the WL should be increased and the solids (sugar) uptake should be limited (dietetic products).The two-exponential kinetic model fitted well to experimental data for both static and centrifugal OD. The correlation coefficient was R² = 0.982–0.999 and the standard error was 5–10%.     

Optimisation of vacuum pulse osmotic dehydration of blanched pumpkin

Pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration (PVOD) is an efficient process for obtaining semi‐dehydrated food. The effects of temperature (30–50°C), solute concentration (NaCl 0–15 kg per 100 kg solution, sucrose, 15–35 kg per 100 kg solution) and vacuum pulse application (50–150 mbar and 5–15 min) on water loss (WL), solid gain (SG), water activity (a_w) and total colour difference (?E) of previously blanched pumpkin slices were assessed through Plackett–Burman experimental design. Temperature was not statistically significant in the process. Later, with the aid of a central composite design (CCD), it was found that concentration of sucrose and NaCl was influent on the WL, SG, a_w and ?E, and the pressure and time of application of vacuum were influent on WL and SG. The optimal conditions of process were stabilised with the desirable function, and the simulated data were similar from the experimental ones.     

Modelling osmotic dehydration of lemon slices using new sweeteners

Lemon slices were osmotically dehydrated using the following healthy sweeteners as osmotic agents: tagatose, isomaltulose, oligofructose and aqueous extract of stevia. A kinetic study using a Fickian approach was performed, which also analysed the changes in water activity, total mass, mass of water and mass of soluble solids in lemon slices. The results showed that the greatest value of effective diffusivity (D_e) in osmodehydrated lemon slices was obtained from a combination of oligofructose and stevia [D_e = (10.2 ± 0.3) × 10^?9 m²·s^?1]. However, the level of water activity (a_w) reached with this syrup was the highest (a_w = 0.978 ± 0.004 after 1440 min) meaning that the product might be less stable. Additionally, isomaltulose favoured the total mass loss, whereas tagatose did the opposite. Finally, the syrup recommended for dehydrating lemon slices would be a combination of tagatose, oligofructose and aqueous extract of stevia as its D_e was similar to the value obtained when only oligofructose and stevia were used, but a_w values were lower.     

Comparison of sucrose and fructo-oligosaccharides as osmotic agents in apple

Fructo-oligosaccharides and sucrose were compared as osmotic agents in the osmotic dehydration of apple cv. Idared. Dehydration process of apple cubes (10  10  10 mm) was performed to determine the weight reduction (WR), moisture content (MC), water loss (WL) and solid gain (SG) over a range of osmotic solutions (40–60% w/v), temperature (40–60 °C) and processing time (20–40 min) The effective diffusion coefficient of water and solute was calculated assuming the processes to be governed by Fick's unsteady state diffusion. The effective diffusion coefficients were found to be of the order of 10^− 9 m² s^− 1 and were effected by the type of solute significantly. The WR, MC, WL and SG were predicted as weighted linear combinations of temperature, concentration of solute and time of OD.

Industrial relevance

The use of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) in different fruit based products is an efficient way to enrich human diet with functional component, because of the well-known health benefits of FOS. The osmotic behaviour of fructo-oligosaccharides were studied and compared to the conventional used sucrose. In view of the changes of different osmotics regarding to unit parameters of osmotic dehydration the results give possibility to industrial technology planning of products containing FOS, which are available for consumption in every season of the year and are favourable also in processed form e.g. muesli, dairy products.     

Evaluation of the mechanical properties and diffusion coefficients of osmodehydrated melon cubes

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of osmotic agents, their concentration and temperature, on the mass transfer kinetics and mechanical properties of osmodehydrated melon cubes. Samples were immersed in a hypertonic solution of sucrose or maltose up to 8 h under controlled temperature and agitation. Water loss, sugar gain and mechanical properties were analysed throughout the process. Mass transfer kinetics was modelled according to Peleg and Fick equations. Higher water loss, lower sugar uptake and stress at rupture values more similar to fresh fruit were observed in samples treated with maltose solutions. Peleg’s model showed the best adjustment to all the experimental data, however the k₁ and k₂ parameters did not show a clear trend with the solution concentration or temperature increase. The effective diffusivity obtained using Fick’s equation varied from 3.93 × 10^?9 to 6.45 × 10^?9m² s^?1 for water loss and from 7.57 × 10^?10 to 3.14 × 10^?9m² s^?1 for sugar gain.     

Effects of nano‐clay type and content on the physical properties of sesame seed meal protein composite films

Sesame seed meal protein (SSMP)/nano‐clay composite films were prepared, and the physical properties of the films were determined. The SSMP film was prepared with 5 g of SSMP and 2 g of glycerol in 100 mL of film‐forming solution, and the tensile strength (TS), elongation (E) and water vapour permeability (WVP) of the SSMP film were 2.51 MP, 21.84% and 3.23 × 10^?9 g m m^?2s^?1 Pa^?1, respectively. Two types of nano‐clays were incorporated to enhance the physical properties of the SSMP film. The TSs of the SSMP film with 5% Cloisite Na⁺ and 7% Cloisite 10A were 6.32 and 5.76 MPa, respectively, and the WVPs of the SSMP nanocomposite films were 2.04 × 10^?9 g m m^?2s^?1 Pa^?1 compared with the SSMP film without nano‐clay, which was 3.23 × 10^?9 g m m^?2s^?1 Pa^?1. Therefore, these results indicate that the SSMP nanocomposite film can be applied in food packaging.     

Influence of ultrasound pretreatments on diffusion coefficients,texture and colour of osmodehydrated sweet potato (Ipomea batatas)

The moisture and solute diffusivities, texture and colour of sweet potato pretreated in distilled water with ultrasound (UD), osmotic dehydration without ultrasound (OD) and osmotic dehydration with ultrasound (UOD) were investigated to determine the effects of ultrasound on osmodehydrated sweet potato. The moisture and solute diffusivities of all the pretreatments ranged from 2.89 to 4.95 × 10^?10 and 1.17 to 1.67 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, respectively. The moisture diffusivity of samples treated in UOD was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of OD and UD by 30.82% and 41.62%, respectively. Compared to the fresh sample, the firmness of samples treated in OD and UOD was reduced by 83.53% and 92.47%, respectively. UD increased the brightness (L*) and reduced the redness (a*) of sweet potato, while UOD enhanced the yellowness (b*) and chroma (C*) of sweet potato. The sweet potato samples treated in UOD had the highest total colour difference (ΔE).     

Estimation of the diffusivities of sodium chloride,potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite in mango slices processed by hurdle technology

The fractional amount of sodium chloride, potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite were evaluated in mango slices immersed in limited volumes of syrup at 25, 50 and 70 °C. The syrup contained 250 g sucrose, 1.5 g sodium chloride, 0.5 g potassium sorbate and 0.25 g sodium bisulphate per kilogram of solution. The sodium chloride concentration in the syrup was confirmed with a flame photometer, and the concentrations of potassium sorbate and sodium bisulphite were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fick’s second law was used to calculate effective diffusion coefficients and to predict solute content in the mango slices. Diffusion coefficients were affected by temperature and were correlated by the Arrhenius equation. The experimental data fit the proposed mathematical model well, allowing prediction of the system’s behavior at different temperatures. The resultant diffusivities ranges were 2.63–3.54 × 10^?9 m²/s for sodium chloride, 3.88 × 10^?9–8.3 × 10^?10 m²/s for potassium sorbate and 1.83 × 10^?7–5.98 × 10^-8 m²/s for sodium bisulphite.     

Optimisation of the pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration of cladodes of fodder palm

Fodder palm, a great source of nutrients for human and animals, grows even in arid climates. Pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration is an efficient process for obtaining semidehydrated food. It was used to slice cladodes of fodder palm. The independent variables used were temperature (30–50 °C), pulsed vacuum pressure (50–150 mbar) and NaCl concentration (5–15 g per 100 g solution). The response variables were water activity (a_w), moisture content (X), colour parameters, water loss (WL), solid gain (SG) and weight reduction (WR). The pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration process was optimised for minimum values of a_w, X and SG, and maximum values of chroma. The experimental data obtained with the optimum condition (100 mbar; 10 gNaCl per 100 g solution, 44 °C) were near the estimated ones. For example, WL, a_w and ?E, and their error were 8.15 g per 100 g, 11%; 0.985, 0.3% and 6.15, 15.2%, respectively.     

Water Diffusion and Concentration Profiles During Osmodehydration and Storage of Apple Tissue

The objective of this work was to study the mobility of water and sucrose during osmotic dehydration and storage of apple tissue and to conduct an analysis of the behavior of the effective diffusion coefficients determined from concentration profiles. Osmotic dehydration (OD) of apple was carried out at 40°C for 1 h, and the solution: sample ratio was 20:1 (w/w). Samples of 20-mm diameter were extracted from the dehydrated apple immediately after the OD process and after 4 and 24 h of storage at 25 °C. Moisture of these samples and soluble solids content were analyzed. Our results showed, after 1 h of OD, the outer layer of the apple sample lost 0.37 kg water/kg apple and gained 0.30 kg sucrose/kg apple. These values decreased toward the internal layers of the apple. A fine layer of greatly dehydrated cells was formed on the surface around the sample, which determined the mass transfer rate in the whole tissue. Smaller mass transport rates were observed in the development of concentration profiles during storage. Diffusion coefficients obtained for the outer layer after 1 h of OD were 1.53 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 1.05 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s for water and sucrose, respectively. The analysis of compositional profiles developed during osmodehydration was a useful tool to get a better understanding of the changes in the water activity of the outer layer of the apple tissue.     

Mass transfer during the osmotic dehydration of West Indian cherry

The main purpose of this work was to study water loss, solids gain, and weight and moisture reduction during the osmotic dehydration process of the West Indian cherry (Malpighia punicifolia). The diffusion coefficient of West Indian cherry was estimated by the inverse method using average moisture contents. Osmotic dehydration was examined for 12 h in a 65°Brix solution at temperature of 27 °C, without agitation, using a fruit:solution mass ratio of 1:4, 1:10, and 1:15. The kinetics and internal changes occurring during the osmotic dehydration of West Indian cherry are reported. The product’s drying kinetics was simulated using the diffusion model, and two optimization methods, Levenberg–Marquardt and Differential Evolution algorithm, were used to predict the diffusion coefficient. The results indicated that the two optimization methods performed similarly in estimating the diffusion coefficient adequately. The average calculated diffusion coefficient was 1.663 × 10^?10 m²s^?1, which is consistent with values reported in the literature.     

Response surface optimisation of osmotic dehydration of Chinese ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) slices

Response surface methodology (RSM) of Box–Behnken design with 27 experimental runs and the desirability function method were used in the osmotic dehydration process of Chinese ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) slices in ternary solution of water, sucrose and sodium chloride for maximising water loss (WL), rehydration ratio (RR) and total phenolic content (TPC) and minimising solute gain (SG) and hunter colour change (HCC) of dehydrated product. The results indicated that the optimum operating conditions were found to be process duration of 102 min, solution temperature of 30 °C, solution concentration of 50 Brix sucrose + 7.31% sodium chloride and solution to food ratio of 8:1 (w/w). Under this condition, the WL, SG and TPC were 58.8% (wb), 12.56% (wb) and 1.46% (db), while its RR and HCC were 1.59 and 6.55, respectively. The immersion time was the most significant variable for WL, HCC, SG and RR, and for TPC it was temperature (P < 0.05).     

Experimental study on drying of pear slices in a convective dryer

The experiments were conducted on pear slices with thickness of 5 mm at temperatures of 50, 57, 64 and 71 °C with an air velocity of 2.0 m s^?1. Prior to drying, pear slices were pretreated with citric acid solution (0.5% w/w, 1 min, 20 °C) or blanched in hot water (1 min, 85 °C). Also, the untreated samples were dried as control. The shortest drying time of pear slices was obtained with pretreatment with citric acid solution. It was observed that whole drying process of pear slices took place in a falling rate period. Four mathematical models were tested to fit drying data of pear slices. According to the statistical criteria (R², χ² and RMSE), the Midilli et al. model was found to be the best model to describe the drying behaviour of pear slices. The effective diffusivity of moisture transfer during drying process varied between 8.56 × 10^?11 and 2.25 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, while the activation energy of moisture diffusion in pear slices was found to be 34.95–41.00 kJ mol^?1.     

Original article: Characterisation of water species revealed in the drying operation of Todarodes pacificus Steenstrup using water proton NMR analysis

For the discrimination of water molecules during the squid‐drying process, the water distribution was characterised by water proton NMR and moisture diffusivity (De) analysis methods as a function of the water content (W₀). The proton NMR spectrum showed three peaks indicating three different species (species‐A, ‐B, and ‐C) distributed in the squid muscle, each of which had a characteristic behaviour of the relaxation time (T₂) as a function of the W₀. The 1/T₂ of species‐A was drastically varied at W₀ = 120%‐d.b., indicating two further categories, i.e., species‐A₁ and ‐A₂. Species‐A₁ is available at W₀ > 120%‐d.b. and was characterised as having De = 5.1 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, activation energy of moisture diffusivity (E_D) = 17 kJ mol^?1, and relaxation rate 1/T₂ = 74 s^?1, as evaluated by the proton NMR spectrum without depending on W₀. Species‐A₂ is available at W₀ < 120%‐d.b., indicating a distribution of De = 4.8 × 10^?10–1.7 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, E_D = 25–35 kJ mol^?1 and 1/T₂ = 1.8 × 10³–1.5 × 10² s^?1 with increasing W₀. Species‐A₁ and ‐A₂ were assigned as weakly restricted water and strongly restricted water, respectively.     

Modeling sulfur dioxide uptake in dent corn during steeping

A mathematical model is employed to describe sulfur dioxide (SO₂) diffusion and reaction during steeping of dent corn. Experiments are performed to measure change of SO₂ content of grain during process. A computer-aided nonlinear optimization technique is used to estimate the effective diffusion coefficients and rate constants in the temperature range 25–55 °C. The effective diffusion coefficient for SO₂ varied between 2.27×10⁻¹¹ and 6.24×10⁻¹¹ m²/s and had an Arrhenius activation energy of 24.3 kJ/mol. The reaction rate of SO₂ in dent corn followed first-order kinetics, with rate constants in the range of 0.80×10⁻⁶–5.38×10⁻⁶ s⁻¹ and activation energy of 49.16 kJ/mol.