Mathematical model with shrinkage of an eggplant drying process

In this paper, the effect of a pretreatment on an eggplant drying process is investigated by using a suitable developed mathematical model with shrinkage. The objective is to assess the role of volume variation due to changes in pore structures in the dehydration processes. Parameters assessing eggplant quality are also taken into account and collected both with and without pretreatment. The built model is used to analyze evolutions of dehydration processes carried out at two temperatures to provide evidences of the advantages of using pretreatment to assure high quality of end products. © 2011, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l