Multiphase porous media transport in apple tissue during drying

Multiphase porous media model in food processing have been proven to be very effective and accurate in wide range of applications such as frying, microwave heating, puffing, baking, meat cooking. However, application of multiphase models in drying is very limited. This study aims to develop a multiphase porous media model for heat and mass transport during drying. The model considered an explicit non-equilibrium formulation for evaporation and variable thermo-physical property of the product during drying. Finite Element Method (FEM) based software COMSOL multiphysics was used to solve the equations. The model was compared with experimental data and good agreement was found. The applicability and challenges to implement the model during drying was analysed and discussed. Sensitivity analysis of evaporation constant, heat and mass transfer coefficient, capillary diffusivity on the temperature and moisture distribution was conducted.