Experimental investigation of bound and free water transport process during drying of hygroscopic food material

Hygroscopic food materials contain free (FW) and bound (BW) water in different cellular environments. In-depth understanding of the mechanisms of moisture migration from different cellular environments during drying is crucial for optimising heat and mass transfer as well as for obtaining better quality dried foods. Therefore, the main aim of the present work is to investigate the transportation mechanisms of FW and BW during drying. Experiments were performed on the potato tissue using 1H-NMR T2 relaxometry to uncover the mechanisms involved in FW and BW transportation. The results have confirmed the view that BW migrates after the rupture of the cell membranes. It is interesting to highlight that the cell membranes rupture at different stages of drying rather than collapsing at one time. The membrane collapse depends predominantly on the penetration rate of heat energy and the pressure gradient between intracellular and intercellular environments. All test results suggest that most of the cell membranes rupture at the middle stage of drying where the moisture content is about 2–4 kg/kg (db.). Furthermore, the moisture distribution profile confirmed that some moisture remained around the centre of the dried sample although the surface of the sample became dry.