Mass transfer modelling of the osmotic dehydration of some fruits

An empirical model was developed to predict the water loss and solid gain during osmotic dehydration of apple, banana and kiwi fruit. The model is based on a first-order kinetic equation, in which the rate constant is a function of the main process variables (speed of agitation, solute concentration, size of fruit and process temperature). This model was applied to a wide range of experimental data on the osmotic dehydration of apple, banana and kiwi fruit, and its parameters were estimated using non-linear regression analysis. The results showed that all of the above process variables have a significant effect on the mass transfer phenomena during osmotic dehydration.