Simulation of Mass and Heat Transfer of Orange Slice during Drying Process under Vacuum Condition Using Finite Element Method

One of the most popular and oldest ways to preserve fruits and vegetables out of season is drying. The mass and heat transfer mechanisms during the drying of food products are complex. In this study, orange slices were dried by the natural convection with a vacuum dryer and the heat and mass transfer process of slices during drying were simulated and predicted by the finite element method using Comsol Multiphysics software. The simulation was done for temperatures of 45, 65, and 85 °C and pressure of 60 kPa. The results showed that the predicted model simulated moisture transfer (R2 between 0.92 and 0.97) and heat transfer (R2 between 0.97 and 0.99) with appropriate accuracy. The simulation showed that after the surface moisture drying, the moisture gradient was from the center to the surface, while the temperature gradient was from the surface to the center.