An Analytical Solution for Heat and Mass Transfer during the Precooling of Freezing Stage of Porous Food

Abstract

The main connotation of this study regarded the possibility of using the analytical solution of cooling food with evaporation. The coupled problem of heat and mass transfer during the cooling of high-water content food is developed. The developed quasi-analytical model, with a few assumptions, enables to easily predict the cooling rate and temperature history of porous food. The prediction of the temperature in a product is needed to understand the physic of the phenomena and the importance of specific parameters. A comparison between analytical, numerical predictions and a set of experimental results reported in the literature has shown a remarkable agreement.