Comparison of Two Methods of Estimation of the Effective
Moisture Diffusivity from Drying Data
V. T. KARATHANOS, G. VILLALOBOS, and G.D. SARAVACOS
ABSTRACT
The effective moisture diffusivity (D) in starch materialswas esti-
mated by the methodof slopesof the drying curve and a computer
simulationtechnique.Dlying data (moisturevs time) were obtained
on slabs and sphericalsampIesof hydratedand gelatinizedstarches
in an air-dryer operatedat 60-100°C and air velocity 2 m/set. The
two methodsgave similar resultsin high-amyIopectinstarchgels of
low porosity,whereliquid diffusionmight predominateduring drying.
Considerabledifferencesbehveenthe two methodswere found in hy-
dratedgranularstarchesandin poroushigh-amylosegels,wherevapor
diffusion might be the main water transportmechanism.
INTRODUCTION
THE MOISTURE DIFFUSIVITY is an important transport
property needed in calculations and modeling of various food
processes, such as drying, rehydration, packaging and storage.
Since theoretical prediction of moisture diffusivity in the com-
plex food materials is not feasible, experimental values are
necessary. Limited data on moisture diffusivity are available
in the literature, with a wide variation of the reported values,
due to the complexity of the foods and the different methods
of estimation (Saravacos, 1986).
Three experimental methods have been applied for the de-
termination of moisture diffusivity in food materials: analysis
of the drying data, sorption kinetics and permeability mea-
surements. The first two methods can be applied to various
shapes of foods, while the permeability method is limited to
films of food materials.
The moisture diffusivity has been found to vary considerably
with the moisture of the food material, due to the complex
structure of the food polymers (starch, cellulose or protein)
and their interaction with water. Fish (1957), using a sorption
technique, found that the moisture diffusivity of starch gels
increasedconsiderably as moisture increased. Saravacos(1967),
using the same technique, found that the variation of moisture
diffusivity with moisture content dependson the physical struc-
ture of the material (e.g., method of drying).
The effective moisture diffusivities in starch materials, es-
timated from drying data, pass through a maximum at low
moistures, due to the porous structure of the dried material
(Saravacos and Raouzeos, 1984; Marousis et al., 1989).
The variation of the moisture diffusivity with the moisture
of the food material can in some cases be expressed by an
exponential model (Hsu, 1983), a power-law function (Cou-
mans and Luyben, 1988) or a gamma function (Villalobos,
1986). The parameters of the model can be estimated by an
optimization technique between the predicted and the experi-
mental values of a drying or a sorption process (Bakshi and
Singh, 1982). However, the variation of the moisture diffusiv-
ity with moisture may be quite complex, especially in porous
food materials.
The estimation of the moisture diffusivity from drying data
The authors are affiliated with the Dept. of Food Science & the
Center for Advanced Food Technology, Cook College, New Jer-
sey Aaricultural Experimental Station, Rutgers the State Univ.,
New Brunswick, Nj 08903.
218-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-Volume 55, No. 1, 1990
of food materials can be accomplished by three methods: from
the slopes of the drying curve (Saravacosand Raouzeos, 1984),
by computer optimization (Bakshi and Singh, 1982) and by
the regular regime technique (Singh et al., 1984).
The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the
first two methods using drying data of starch materials of known
chemical and physical structure.
THEORY
MOST FOOD dehydration processes take place in the falling
rate period, during which water is transported from the interior
to the surface of the material by various mechanisms. Usually
the transport of water can be described by the Fick’s equation
of unsteady state diffusion (Crank, 1975), which for the case
of drying can be written as follows,
ax
- ?(Dz) (1)
T - ar
where X is the moisture content (kg water/kg dry solids), r is
the diffusion path (m), t is the time (set) and D is the moisture-
dependent diffusivity (m%ec).
The diffusivity (D) varies considerably with moisture and
can be estimated by an analysis of the drying data (moisture
X vs time t) applying one of the following methods: (1) the
method of slopes (Perry and Green, 1984; Saravacos and Ra-
ouzeos, 1984), (2) a computer optimization method (Bakshi
and Singh, 1982) and (3) the regular regime method (Singh et
al., 1984; Coumans and Luyben, 1988). The first two methods
will be described in more detail, since they were utilized and
compared in the present investigation.
Simplified method of slopes
The method of slopes is based on the solution of the Fick’s
equation for unsteady-state diffusion (Eq. 1) under the follow-
ing initial and boundary conditions:
t=o 0 < r < r0 x=x, (2)
t>O r=O ax/ar = 0 (3)
t>o r=r 0 x = x, (4)
The solution of Eq. (1) for a slab, for constant diffusivity
(D); in terms of an infinite series is given by Crank (1975):
x-x,
w = x,-x,
=- z* jl
& exp [ -(2n+;Jiot] (5)
0
where W is the fractional moisture ratio, X, is the initial mois-
ture, X is the mean moisture at time t, X, is the moisture at
equilibrium and r, is the half thickness of the slab for drying
from both sides or the thickness of the slab for drying from
one side.
For a sphere of radius rO, the solution of Fick’s equation,
for constant diffusivity (D), yields:
w _ x-x,
--=$il$exp[-F]
x,-X, 0
Equations (5) or (6) are evaluated numerically for Fourier
numbers, Fo (Fo = Dt/r*), using the Newton-Raphson method.
In the drying of food materials, the moisture diffusivity (D)
may vary considerably with the moisture ratio (W), i.e., the
moisture content (X). This became evident from the nonlinear
drying curves (log W vs time) obtained with starch materials
(Marousis et al., 1989), while the diffusion equations (5 or 6)
with constant diffusivity yielded linear curves at W ~0.6. In
some casesthe drying curve may consist of two linear sections,
and two diffusivitives can be estimated from the diffusion
equation (Jason and Peters, 1973).
In the general case of nonlinear drying curves, the method
of slopes (Perry and Green, 1984; Saravacos and Raouzeos,
1984) can be applied to estimate the effective moisture diffu-
sivity at various moisture contents. The application of this
method is illustrated in Fig. 1. The experimental drying curve
(log W vs t) is compared to the theoretical diffusion curve (W
vs. Fo) for the given shape of the material (slab or sphere).
The slopes of the experimental drying curve (dW/dt),, and
the theoretical curve (dW/dFo),, are estimated at a given mois-
ture ratio (W), using numerical differentiation (Langrange
method). The effective moisture diffusivity (D&J at a given
moisture ratio W (or moisture X) is estimated from the equa-
tion,
D cff=
[ (dWld%,d
(dW~dFohlr,
where r0 = slab half-thickness (drying from both sides) or slab
thickness (drying from one side) or sphere radius of the sample
.Ol _
0 200 400 6 I
I 1, (mln)
1. ., .., .., ..,
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.0 1.0
Fo = Dtlr,l
Fig. 7. -Experimental drying curve (log W vs t) of hydrated mix-
ture of 75% Amioca/25% sucrose at 60°C and theoretical curve
(fog W vs Fo) for diffusion in a sphere (Eq. 61. The slopes of the
two curves are estimated at a moisture ratio W (points A and B
respectively). W = (X-XJ/(X,-XJ, X = mean moisture at time t,
X, X. = initial and equilibrium moistures.
at moisture W (X).
Fo = Dt/r,* = Fourier number for diffusion.
(6) The method of slopes estimates the effective moisture dif-
fusivity at each moisture W (X) essentially by applying re-
peatedly the diffusion equation (5 or 6) from W = 1 to W = W
(or from X=X, to X =X). Since the slope of the drying curve
and the dimensions of the sample change during drying, the
estimated values of D,, will vary with the moisture content
(X) of the sample.
A similar technique was used by Hanson et al. (1971) to
estimate the moisture diffusivity in granular starch during ab-
sorption of water vapor. The diffusion equation for spherical
granules (6) was applied repeatedly from dryness (X = 0) to
various final moistures (X).
Computer simulation method
The sample (slab or sphere) was divided into ten equal parts
(11 nodal points), and ten moisture diffusivity values were
assumed, each corresponding to a different moisture (X). The
maximum level was the initial moisture (X,) and the lowest
the equilibrium moisture (X,).
The Fick’s equation of unsteady diffusion (1) was solved by
an iterative technique using the general implicit Euler’s method
of finite differences (Crank, 1975). A uniform moisture con-
centration (X=X,) was assumed at the beginning of the dif-
fusion process (Eq. 2). This is a valid assumption for the
experimental drying conditions of this investigation, since all
drying took place in the falling rate period (relatively low in-
itial moisture of the samples).
(7) At the exposed sample surface(s), the boundary condition
(4) can be applied (X=X,), since the drying experiments were
performed on individual samples at high air velocity. Under
these conditions, the interphase resistance to mass transfer is
negligible and the drying process is controlled by the diffusion
within the sample.
At the center of the sphere or the center of the slab (two-
side drying) or the unexposed surface of the slab (one-side
drying) the following boundary condition applies:
3X xR+l
0 or n = X:2;
dr=
where R represents the R-th time interval and n the n-th nodal
point (n= 11).
A computer program was written to estimate the transient
moisture at the nodal points during the experimental drying
time. The average moisture of the sample (X) at any time was
estimated by integrating (volume average moisture) the mois-
tures of the nodal points, using the Simpson’s rule. Ten mois-
ture diffusivities were estimated for ten moistures lying between
the initial and the final moistures of the sample. These moisture
diffusivities were used subsequently for the estimation of the
moisture transfer among the nodal points during the simula-
tion. The diffusivity Dj.l,j, which is used in the finite difference
equations, is the mean diffusivity between the (j-1) and (‘j)
nodal points.
The set of the ten equations was solved for ten moistures,
each corresponding to one of the ten nodal points (the ll-th
nodal point has, always, a moisture concentration equal to the
J equilibrium moisture content). A Gauss elimination technique
was used to solve the set of the ten (simultaneous) equations.
The calculations are repeated for the next time intervals as-
suming that the initial values are the results from the previous
time interval. The ten diffusivities have new values that cor-
respond to moistures found in the previous step.
An optimization technique, based on the modified Leven-
berg-Marquardt method, was used for the estimation of the
diffusivity values (Villalobos, 1986). For this purpose, the
computer program was used in conjunction with the subroutine
Volume 55, No. 1, 1990-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-219
EST. EFFECTIVE MOISTURE DIFFUSIVIW. ..
ZXSSQ of the International Mathematical and Statistical Li-
braries (IMSL, 1984), which estimates the solution of a prob-
lem by solving nonlinear least squares of given functions. In
this case, the average moisture, estimated by integrating the
moisture profile at all nodal points, was compared to the ex-
perimental values of the drying experiment. Therefore, the
moisture diffusivities, estimated by the computer program, are
the values that best fit the transient moisture distribution at the
nodal points during the entire experimental run.
Inputs to the computer program were the drying time and
the moisture, the shape of the sample (slab, sphere or cylin-
der), the sample dimensions, the equilibrium moisture, and the
initial guess of the ten moisture diffusivity values to be esti-
mated.
The computer program can also be applied with different
initial and boundary conditions: for example if, in addition to
diffusion, the mass evaporation from the surface to the air-
stream is also important, then boundary condition (4) becomes:
-D g = k, (X-x)
where, k, is the interphase mass transfer coefficient.
Under the experimental conditions of the presentinvestigation,
water diffusion within the starch samples was the controlling
mechanism of mass transfer. This was confirmed by the very
high Biot number, which is the ratio of internal to external re-
sistancesto mass transfer. For wet spherical samples of diameter
d = 2cm, dried at 60°C and air-velocity 2 m/set, the estimated
mass transfer coefficient was k, = 0.035 m/set (Saravacoset al.,
1988). For a moisture diffusivity D = 10 x lo-lo m*/sec the Biot
number (Bi) becomes Bi = k&D = 0.035 x O.Ol/lO x lo-lo = 350
000.
MATERL4LS & METHODS
Materials
Two native granular starches were the principal materials used in
the experimental measurements: Hylon 7, a high-amylose starch pow-
der containing about 63% amylose, and Amioca, a high-amylopectin
powder, containing about 98% amylopectin. Both starches were sup-
plied by National Starch and Chemical Corp. In addition, mixtures of
the starch materials with 25% aucroaewere used in some experiments.
Two types of samples were prepared, hydrated and gelatinized
starches. The hydrated starches were prepared by thorough mixing of
the starch materials with distilled water to moisture of about 0.8 g
water/g dry solids. The gelatinized samples of Amioca were prepared
by heating a starch/water mixture (starch : water = 1:l) at 100°C for
10 min. Hylon 7 required more water (starch:water = 2/l) and heating
in an autoclave at 120°C for 10 min for complete gelatinization. The
degree of gelatinization was checked by determining the loss of crys-
tallinity, using polarized microscopy and differential scanning calor-
imetry.
Most of the experiments were performed with either slab or spher-
ical samples. Flat samples (slabs) were prepared in 90 mm-diameter
plastic or glass dishes. The hydrated mixtures were spread in the
dishes applying light pressure to form slabs of uniform thickness of
about 44 mm. The hot starch gels were placed into the dishes and
allowed to stand at 4°C and 100% relative humidity for 24 hr. Spher-
ical samples of hydrated or gelatinized starches were prepared using
spherical plastic molds of 2 cm diameter.
Drying experiments
The drving experiments were performed in a pilot-plant tray drver
(Sargent’s S&s Corp.), which was operated at an air velocity bf 2-m/
sec. temperatures40-100°C and relative humidities S-20%. The drving
data (m&sture ratio W vs time t) were obtained by periodic weighing
of the samples with a Mettler PE 160 balance, placed on the top of
the dryer. The thickness of the samples during the drying was mea-
sured with a micrometer. The hydrated slabs were dried from one (the
top) side in the plates, while the gelatinized slabs were dried from
both sides on a perforated plastic support. The dry solids of each
sample was determined after each experiment by the vacuum oven
method at 70°C for 24 hr.
220-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-Volume 55, No. 1, 1990
The equilibrium moisture content (X.) of the samples in the air-
dryer was determined by extrapolation of the drying curves, using the
graphical technique, described by Jason and Peters (1973).
The bulk porosity (a) of the samples was estimated from the equa-
tion,
c = 1 - PdPp (10)
where, pb is the bulk density and pp is the particle (solid) density of
the sample. The bulk density was determined from the weight and the
geometric volume of the sample (slab or sphere) at various moistures. I
The particle density was determined using a steropycnometer (Quan-
tachrome Corp. SPY-2), operated under helium pressure.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
I
Method of slopes
All drying experiments were performed in the falling rate
period of drying, since the initial moisture of the starch ma-
terials was relatively low (Xc 1 kg water/kg dry starch). Under
the experimental drying conditions used in this investigation
(high air velocity, low relative humidity, drying of individual
slab or spherical samples) the controlling resistance to mass
transfer was internal diffusion of moisture. The nonlinear shape
of the drying curves (Fig. 1) indicated a variable moisture
diffusivity. The method of slopes yielded indicative values of
the effective moisture diffusivity (D), assuming that the dif-
fusion equation could be applied to sections of the drying curve.
The approximate D values, obtained at various moistures, were
used as first guesses in the computer (numerical) method.
The effective moisture diffusivity (D), estimated from drying
data, represents an over-all mass transport property of water
in the material, which may include liquid diffusion, vapor dif-
fusion, hydrodynamic flow and other possible mass transfer
mechanisms. The experimental D values of the starch samples,
obtained by the method of slopes of the drying curve, varied
considerably with moisture content (X) and the physical struc-
ture of the material (0.1 x lo-lo to 70x lo-r0 m*/sec).
Two different patterns (types of curves) of D vs X were
obtained. The first pattern characterized the drying behavior
of the Amioca (high-amylopectin) starch gels and the second
type was observed on the Hylon 7 (high-amylose) gels and the
hydrated starches (both Hylon 7 and Amioca). A typical pat-
tern of the moisture diffusivity of Amioca gel, which decreased
gradually as the moisture content was reduced is shown in Fig.
2. Low moisture diffusivity values were obtained in Amioca
and Amioca/sucrose gels, which increased with temperature,
following an Arrhenius-type equation (Marousis et al., 1989).
The results of the method of slopes were compared to the
diffusion equation using a numerical solution of Eq. (1). Equa-
tions 1 to 4 were solved for variable moisture diffusivity, using
the finite differences method. A good agreement was found
between the estimated and the predicted moistures in the drying
of a typical starch gel (Fig. 3), supporting the validity of the
method of slopes.
The second pattern of moisture diffusivity, observed on hy-
drated granular Amioca, is shown in Fig. 4. The effective
diffusivity increased gradually as the drying progressed, reach-
ing a maximum near 10% moisture and decreasing sharply near
the end of drying. The anomalous behavior of the moisture
diffusivity in granular and porous starches might be the result
of the changing mechanism during drying: In the first stage of
drying liquid diffusion of water might be the main mass trans-
fer mechanism. As the drying progresses, a porous structure
is formed, in which vapor diffusion of water may predominate.
Finally, at low moistures, the diffusivity decreased sharply,
because water was bound strongly on the sorption sites of the
food polymer.
The diffusivity of water was related to the porosity of the
starch material, which might change considerably during drying.
The porosity of a hydrated and a gelatinized high-amylopectin
(Amioca) starch is shown in Fig. 5. The low porosities of the
 1

04 . I . . 1 . * . 1 ’ . . 1 l

08. . 1 . . I . s 1. I . I . 9 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.0 1.0 1.2

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/g DRY SOLIDS)
MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/g DRY SOLIDS)
Fig. 4. -Effective moisture diffusivity in slabs of hydrated Amioca
Fig. 2.-Effective moisture diffusivitv in spherical samples of (method of slopes).
75% Amioca/25% sucrose gel (method of slopes).

0.5

0.4

HYDRATED MIXlURE
0.3
\
E
m
2
8 0.2

0.1

O.Or
0 5 10
0.0
I I 0.2 0.4 0.6

MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/g DRY SOLIDS)

0.0 1.0 1 I

DRYING TIME, (hr)

Fig. 5. -Porosity developed during drying at 90°C of Amioca
Fig. 3. -Mean moistures of a spherical sample of 75% Amiocai slabs.
25% sucrose gel predicted by the method of slopes.

Amioca gel corresponded to the low moisture diffusivities.
High porosities were observed in hydrated starches and in ge-
latinized high-amylose (Hylon 7) starch. The void space (po-
rosity) of the hydrated starches evidently facilitated the transfer
of water vapor within the samples, resulting in high effective
moisture diffusivities.
Computer simulation
A typical plot of the predicted and experimental moistures
during the drying of a sample of Amioca gel at 100°C is shown
in Fig. 6. In most cases, the sum of squares of the differences
between the experimental and the calculated moistures (objec-
tive function F) was less than lo-‘.
F = C (K,exp- Xi.ca2 (11)
I
where Xi is the moisture at the i-th experimental point.
The optimization of the diffusivity values converged to a
unique solution. The assumed initial values of moisture dif-
fusivity did not have a large effect on the final solution, al-
though better predictions resulted in faster convergence and
smoother curves of predicted moisture content (X) vs time (t).
The moisture profile of a spherical sample of starch gel,
predicted by the computer model, is shown in Fig. 7. A uni-
form moisture profile was.assumed at the beginning of drying,

Volume 55, No. 1, 1990-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-221

EST. EFFECTIVE MOISTURE DIFFUSIVITY. . v

. o SLOPEMElMOD
. q COMPUTERMIZHOD

roo”c q .
.

0-l . . 1 . 1 . . I I . ’ 1 ’ . I . I ’ .
0 3 6 9 12 15 16 21 :14 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6

TIME (hr)
MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/ g DRY SOUDS)
Fig. 6:-Mean moistures of a soherical sample of 75% Amiocal Fig. 8. -Effective moisture diffusivities in spherical samples of
25% sucrose gelpredicted by the computer’method. 75% Amioca/25% sucrose gel (computer and slope method).’

50

0 hr

0
. 0
.
.
I . a
60°C .
. 0
0 .
.

“, .., .., ..,.., .., ..,

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.6 1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.6 1.0 1.2

RADIAL DISTANCE (RlRo) MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/g DRY SOLIDS)

Fig. 7. -Moisture distribution at various times in a spherical Fig. 9. -Effective moisture diffusivity in slabs of hydrated gran-
sample of Amioca/25% sucrose gel, calculated by the computer ular Amioca (computer method).
simulation method.

A typical pattern of moisture diffusivities during the drying

followed by parabolic curves, which were characteristic of the
molecular diffusion (Fick’s equation).
The effective moisture diffusivity (D) at various moistures
(X), in an Amioca/sucrose gel, dried at 80°C and 100°C ob-
tained by the computer simulation technique is shown in Fig.
8, along with the D values of the method of slopes (Fig. 2).
Good agreement between the two methods was found at mois-
tures higher than X = 0.3, where liquid diffusion may predom-
inate. The differences in D values, observed at low moistures,
may be caused by vapor diffusion through the pores and cracks
of the samples, formed during the last stage of drying:
of a hydrated granular starch, obtained by the computer method,
is shown in Fig. 9. The scattered D values indicated that the
molecular diffusion model was inadequate in describing the
transport of water in drying porous starch materials.
Comparison of the two methods
A good agreement between the method of slopes and the
computer simulation method was obtained for high-amylopec-
tin (Amioca) gels and Amioca/sugar gels (Fig. 2 and 8). Sig-
nificant differences between the two methods were found in

222-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-Volume 55, No. 1, 1990

hydrated starchesand gelatinized high-amylose (Hylon 7) starch,
evidently due to more porous structure of the hydrated starches.
The F values (Eq. 11) in Amioca gels varied from 0.5 x 1O-4
to 1 x 10-4, while much higher values (F= 3 x 1O-4 to 5 x 10-4)
were obtained in the hydrated starches.
In gelatinized Amioca starch and Amioca/sucrose mixtures
the main mechanism of water transport appearedto be by liquid
diffusion. This was supported by the observed low porosity of
the gelatinized samples and the gradual decrease of moisture
diffusivity at lower moistures. Thus, the diffusion equation (1)
can describe adequately the moisture transport process within
the starch material.
An entirely different physical structure was developed dur-
ing the drying of hydrated granular starches or gelatinized Hy-
lon 7 materials, which affected the water transfer mechanism.
The high porosity and the cracks, developed in the dried layer
of the sample, allowed the rapid transfer of water vapor, re-
sulting in high effective moisture diffusivities. Thus, the dif-
fusion equation failed, at least in part, to predict the transport
of water (Bruin and Luyben, 1980). In this case, the moisture
profile in the sample is not expected to follow the predicted
pattern of molecular diffusion (Fig. 7).
The method of slopes assumes an “effective” diffusion
coefficient, (Den), representing mass transfer by diffusion in-
side a sample during drying. While in the low-porosity samples
(gels) De, is very close to the liquid diffusivity (Bruin and
Luyben, 1980), in the high-porosity samples Defr represents an
overall transport of moisture by different mechanisms and,
among others, vapor diffusion. Therefore, in the low-porosity
samples the Fick’s second law could be applied successfully
and thus the computer program was adequate. On the other
hand, in the high-porosity samples the failure of the Fick’s law
to describe the process resulted in partial failure of the com-
puter program. In the latter case, the method of slopes, based
on the slopes of the experimental drying curve, provided ap-
proximate values of water transport (effective moisture diffu-
sivity), which incorporated the effects of high porosity and
cracks of the sample,
Once the water transport (diffusion) behavior in a material
has been established, either by the slope method or by com-
puter simulation, a mathematical model can be proposed to
describe the variation of the effective diffusivity (D) with the
mean moisture (X) of the material. For materials of low po-
rosity (e.g., food gels, high-suger foods, in which liquid dif-
fusion predominates during drying) a two-parameter power-
law or exponential equation can be proposed:
D = c1 XF (12)
D = czexp (b,X) (13)
where c,; c,, b,, b, constants, X = moisture, and D = ef-
fective moisture diffusivity.
For granular and porous materials (e.g., food powders, gran-
ular or porous foods), where water is transported mainly by
vapor diffusion through the void spaces, the two-parameter
gamma function has been applied successfully (Villalobos,
1986):
D = xp * 2-1 * 10-s *
exp( - h * X,) (14)
r(p)
where X, /3 are constants, D = effective diffusivity, X =
moisture, X, = X - XRHZOand r(p) = gamma function.
The effective moisture diffusivities in hydrated granular starch,
predicted by a computer method, utilizing the gamma function,
are compared with the D values obtained by the slope method
directly from the drying curve in Fig. 10. The constants of the
gamma function were obtained by regression analysis of the
drying data.
A computer simulation program, using a two-parameter
equation for the diffusivity, yields smooth diffusivity curves,
Volume
MEfHOO
OFSLOPES
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6
MOISTURE CONTENT (g WATER/g DRY SOLIDS)
Fig. 10. -Comparison of the effective moisture diffusivity in hy-
drated granular Hylon7 slabs dried at 60°C.
because it optimizes only two parameters. By contrast, the
simulation method used in this paper is based on the optimi-
zation of 10 parameters (predicted diffusivities), yielding less
smooth curves, especially when moisture transport is not ad-
equately described by the diffusion equation (Fig. 9). The 2-
parameter simulation method can be used properly when the
shape of the diffusivity vs moisture curves has been estab-
lished. Otherwise the sum of errors (deviation) from the ex-
perimental values is larger than in the lo-parameter computer
simulation method.
CONCLUSIONS
THE TWO METHODS of estimations of the effective moisture
diffusivity from drying data gave similar results in materials
where liquid diffusion predominated. The simple method of
slopes could be used for preliminary estimation of the moisture
diffusivity, since it was easier and less computer-time consum-
ing. This method could provide quantitative information on the
mass transport of water and the type of moisture diffusion
(liquid or vapor). In materials where liquid diffusion predom-
inated, as manifested by a gradual decrease of the diffusivity
at lower moistures and by low porosities, the computer sim-
ulation technique could be used for more accurate predictions
and simulation of the drying process.
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bensm. Wiss. u-Technol. 15: 89.
Bruin, S. and Luyben, K.Ch.A.M. 1980. Drying of food materials. A review
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55, No. I, 1990-JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-223
commercial snack (Table 8). Again, no statistical differences with respect to the commercial corn snack. Formulations 2 and
were found among experimental snacks. 3 were found to be the best alternatives for the preparation of
Experimental products represent different formulations but corn-based snacks with significantly improved nutritive value,
they are submitted to identical nutritional constraints in the acceptable sensory characteristics, and competitive production
linear-programming model. This might explain the close sim- costs.
ilarity in protein quality and confirm the advantages of the
methodology. Tryptophan addition was not necessaryto obtain REFERENCES
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Formulation 3 3.05 a 3.24 a 3.47 a 2.89 a
Control snack 2.83 a 2.77 a 2.97 a 2.84 a This project was funded by a CONACYT grant PCALBNA-020786. We thank Mr.
Jesus Alvarez from the Snack Factory “Productos Twist” for allowing us to use his
0 Scores were measured from the interval scale used for each. attribute in which a facilities. Our appreciation to Dr. Luz Vazquez and Arm Maria Cslderon de la Barca
score of 3 represents the reference corn snack. Means followed by a difierent let- for reviewing the manuscript and to Rsfaela Gil Lamadrid for the transcription.
ter sre significantly different (psO.05).

EST. EFFECTIVE MOISTURE DIFFUSIVITY. . .From page 223

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