Finite Element Analysis of Moisture Diffusion in Stored Foods

A Finite Element model was used to predict the average moisture content of foods represented by axisymmetric shapes. The model was found to adequately predict the moisture content for the majority of the foods represented by cereal, dairy, fruit, vegetable, meat and semi‐moist bakery food groups. For two foods, flour desorbing to 0.11 a w and turnips adsorbing to 0.75 a w , the predictions lmproved when variable diffusivity was used as contrasted with constant diffusivity. The Finite Element model was tested for different foods with different size, shape and diffusion potential.