Morchella esculenta (morel) rehydration process modelling

Rehydration of air-dried Morchella esculenta mushrooms was examined at different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 55 and 70 degrees C). Two kinds of models were considered to describe the kinetics: a diffusion model for a slab and two empirical equations, Peleg and Weibull. The three models described the rehydration process properly. The equilibrium moisture content only showed statistically significant differences as compared to the rehydration temperature in the Peleg model. The kinetic parameters of the models were temperature dependent. This influence was described in terms of the Arrhenius relationship. The average activation energy for the three models was 1592 kJ kg(-1). (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.