Evaluation of water, sucrose and minerals effective diffusivities during osmotic treatment of pork in sugar beet molasses

Effective diffusivities of water, sucrose and minerals in osmotic treatment of pork cubes (M. triceps brachii) were calculated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), with respect to temperature (20, 35 and 50oC) and concentration of sugar beet molasses, (60, 70 and 80% w/w). The numerical solution of Fick's' law for unsteady-state mass transfer in a perfect cube configuration was used to calculate the effective diffusivities of water, sucrose and minerals (Na, K, Ca and Mg). Zugarramurdi and Lupin's model was used to predict the equilibrium condition, which was shown to be appropriate for water loss and solute uptake during osmotic treatment. Effective diffusivity of water was found to be in the range of 6.95×10-10 - 8.03×10-10 m2s-1, the sucrose effective diffusivity was between 6.39×10-10 and 8.25×10-10 m2s-1, while diffusivities for minerals were in the range 6.34×10-10 - 8.82×10-10 m2s-1, for Na, 6.27×10-10 - 7.43×10-10 m2s-1, for K, 6.44×10-10 - 8.94×10-10 m2s-1, for Ca and 3.47×10-10 - 5.66×10-10 m2s-1, for Mg. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31055