Effect of Temperature on Salt Diffusion into Vegetable Tissue

The diffusion process has many applications in food processing operations, such as extraction; preservation (curing, salting, and smoking); drying; and color transfer. Our main objective was to measure the diffusion coefficient, D_s, of salt into vegetable tissue (celery, mushroom, and water chestnut) as a function of temperature. For this purpose, a sample of tissue was used to separate donor and receiver compartments, each with solutions of different salt concentrations. Values of D_s were determined by periodic monitoring. The results show that the equilibrium distribution coefficient, K, and D_s of all materials were significantly affected by temperature (p < 0.05). The temperature dependence of D_s for all three materials was described by the Arrhenius equation, with water chestnut showing the lowest activation energy.