Effect of Temperature on Salt Diffusion into Vegetable Tissue

The diffusion process has many applications in food processing operations, such as extraction; preservation (curing, salting, and smoking); drying; and color transfer. Our main objective was to measure the diffusion coefficient, Ds, of salt into vegetable tissue (celery, mushroom, and water chestnut) as a function of temperature. For this purpose, a sample of tissue was used to separate donor and receiver compartments, each with solutions of different salt concentrations. Values of Ds were determined by periodic monitoring. The results show that the equilibrium distribution coefficient, K, and Ds of all materials were significantly affected by temperature (p < 0.05). The temperature dependence of Ds for all three materials was described by the Arrhenius equation, with water chestnut showing the lowest activation energy.