CFD predicting the effects of various parameters on core temperature and weight loss profiles of cooked meat during vacuum cooling

A series of numerical simulations using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code was carried out to predict core temperature and weight loss profiles of cooked meat during the vacuum cooling process. The CFD model allows the simultaneous prediction of unsteady heat and mass transfer, such as temperature distribution, weight loss and water content of the meats at vacuum pressure. The numerical simulation was verified by experiment with cooling cooked meat with cylindrical shape within an experimental vacuum cooler. Further calculations were performed to investigate the effects of anisotropy and thermal shrinkage of the food, vapour and water transport within the food, radiation on the surface, and the pressure history of the cooling process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.