Modelling heat and mass transfer in frozen foods: a review

This paper reviews mathematical methods for modelling heat and mass transfer during the freezing, thawing and frozen storage of foods. It starts by considering the problems in modelling heat transfer controlled freezing (the Stefan problem): release of latent heat, sudden changes in thermal conducti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of refrigeration Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 876 - 888
Main Author Pham, Q. Tuan
Format Journal Article Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2006
Elsevier Science
Subjects
Applied sciences
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Enquête
Exact sciences and technology
Food
Frozen food
Heat transfer
Mass transfer
Modelling
Modélisation
Produit alimentaire
Produit congelé
Refrigerating engineering
Refrigerating engineering. Cryogenics. Food conservation
Survey
Theoretical studies. Data and constants. Metering
Transfert de chaleur
Transfert de masse
Produit congelé
Survey
Transfert de chaleur
Transfert de masse
Frozen food
Produit alimentaire
Modelling
Enquête
Heat transfer
Mass transfer
Food
Modélisation
Refrigeration installation
Thawing
Numerical method
Freezing
High pressure
Quality
Thermal conductivity
Supercooling
Diffusion
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This paper reviews mathematical methods for modelling heat and mass transfer during the freezing, thawing and frozen storage of foods. It starts by considering the problems in modelling heat transfer controlled freezing (the Stefan problem): release of latent heat, sudden changes in thermal conductivity. The author gives a unified overview of the common numerical methods: finite difference, finite element and finite volume. Mass transfer is then considered, involving different phenomena and approaches for dense and porous foods. Supercooling, nucleation and trans-membrane diffusion effects during freezing, and recrystallization during frozen storage are considered next. High pressure thawing and thawing are considered in view of their recent popularity. Finally, the paper offers a brief look at mechanical stresses during freezing, a much neglected area. It is concluded that while modelling heat transferred controlled freezing is a settled problem, much work remains to be done in modelling associated phenomena in order to gain the ability to predict changes in food quality at the micro-level.
ISSN:0140-7007
1879-2081
DOI:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2006.01.013