2015
FOODOPS 2015 Proceeding
Optimization of hydration process of date palm fruits from experimental and numerical approaches
Authors: A. Lakoud, S. Curet, M. Hassouna
Abstract
This study focuses on the hydration process of dates from experimental and numerical investigations. Dry Tunisian Deglet Nour dates were hydrated at a laboratory scale by using saturated air. A theoretical model based on a finite element scheme was developed to describe mass transfer phenomena that occur during the hydration process. This model considers the real shape of dates with a 2D axisymmetric analysis. Both moisture diffusivity and convective mass transfer coefficient of dates were estimated by using an optimization algorithm based on a least square approach from experimental and numerical average moisture contents. Overall, the experimental moisture contents as a function of hydration time were found in good agreement with the simulated values for various operating conditions. Such a methodology can now be used as a predictive tool to simulate the hydration of dates in order to improve the quality of final product and reducing processing time.
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