Parameter estimation for moisture transport in apples with the aid of NMR imaging

摘要

The moisture diffusivity of Jonagold apple flesh and skin was estimated based on NMR images obtained from drying experiments. It was assumed that the diffusivities were not dependent on the moisture concentration. A multi-echo sequence was required to correct for the change of T-2 during the experiment. The diffusivities were estimated by minimization of the squared error between measured and predicted moisture concentrations. The latter were calculated based on the analytical solution or a Galerkin finite element discretization of the diffusion equation. The average flesh diffusivity was 10.3 x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1) and did not change significantly during ultra-low oxygen storage. The corresponding skin diffusivity was 1.32 x 10(-13) m(2) s(-1). If the flesh and skin diffusivity were estimated simultaneously, the values were 2.8 x 10(-12) and 6.3 x 10(-15) m(2) s(-1), respectively. [References: 11]