Three‐Stage Kinetics of Conductive Drying of Meat Raw Materials Under Mechanical Compression With Pressure Release

Conductive drying is an effective method for intensifying heat and mass transfer in food processing due to direct heat supply through the contact surface. However, moisture transfer mechanisms in capillary–porous materials under mechanical compression remain insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of conductive drying of meat raw materials under controlled mechanical compression and to evaluate the effect of instantaneous pressure release on moisture removal intensity. Experiments were carried out using a laboratory contact‐type unit with double‐sided heat supply at a temperature of 130°C. Excess compression pressure ranged from 35,000 to 105,000 Pa, and the material layer thickness varied from 0.003 to 0.007 m. It was established that increasing compression pressure reduces drying time by 22%–39%. Instantaneous pressure release at the critical moisture content leads to the formation of three‐stage drying kinetics, including drying under compression, a short pulse stage of intensive moisture removal, and a final diffusion‐controlled stage. A mathematical model describing the three‐stage kinetics under variable mechanical compression was developed and experimentally validated, demonstrating high agreement with experimental data.