Modeling multicomponent mass transfer in plant material in contact with aqueous solutions of sucrose and sodium chloride during osmotic dehydration

Abstract

Abstract A multi‐component mass transfer model for osmotic dehydration of carrots using aqueous solution of sucrose and sodium chloride is presented. The phenomenological approach was used to describe non‐linear relationship between the fluxes and thermodynamic forces. A model for the prediction of water loss and solids gain was developed taking into account the cellular structure shrinkage during the process with the assumption that no plasmolysis takes place in the cell membrane and the concentration of osmotic solution remains constant. The model was then used to optimize the performance of a continuous type contactor to obtain the best parameters for water removal from carrot cubes.