Mass transfer kinetics of osmotic dehydration of cherry tomato

Cherry tomato samples were osmotically dehydrated in different hypertonic NaCl solutions (with or without sucrose) at two different concentrations. Mass transfer kinetics were modelled according to Peleg, Fick and Page equations. The Peleg equation presented the best fitting for water loss and Page model showed the best predictive capacity for salt gain data. The effective diffusivity determined using Fick's second law applied to a spherical geometry was found to be in the range of 0.43 x 10(-9)-1.77 x 10(-9) m(2)/s for water loss and 0.04 x 10(-9)-0.54 x 10(-9) m(2)/s for salt gain. Increased solution concentration resulted in higher water loss and salt gain. An addition of sucrose to osmotic solutions decreased the driving force of the process. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.