Osmotic dehydration kinetics of pear D'anjou (Pyrus communis L.)

Osmotic dehydration kinetics of pear D'anjou cubes was carried out for three different concentrations and three different temperatures of solution. Peleg, Fick, and Page's mathematical models were fitted to the experimental data. Effective diffusivity calculated with Fick's equation varied from 3.47 x 10(-10) to 1.92 x 10(-9) m(2)/S for water loss and from 1.99 x 10(-10) to 3.60 x 10(-9) m(2)/s for solids' gain. Water loss and solids' gain increase as temperature or solute concentration increases. 9 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.