Fluid Flow Effect and Mechanical Interactions during Drying of a Deformable Food Model

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to evaluate a mathematical representation for the drying of a spherical food model, including the fluid flow effect and mechanical interactions. Drying kinetics data were obtained under a laminar fluid flow and the mechanical properties were evaluated through compression tests. The drying model considers two-dimensional mass transfer and the mechanical model was formulated from elasticity theory. The solution made possible the understanding of the fluid flow effect on mass transfer and the relationship between drying stresses and physical degradation of the food models.

Keywords:

• Compression tests
• Fundamentals of drying
• Mathematical modeling
• Mechanical interactions
• Moisture profiles

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the Research and Project Financer (PRONEX/CNPq), National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Organization to the Improvement of Higher Learning Personnel (CAPES), and Foundation for Research Support of São Paulo State (FAPESP) for their financial aid. Acknowledgement is also due to the Materials Engineering Department/UFSCar for the use of the equipment for mechanical tests.