Thermodynamic models for water sorption by garlic.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Understanding moisture sorption is crucial for food storage and processing.
• Garlic's physical properties influence its shelf life and quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the moisture sorption behavior of Punjab-grown garlic.
• To identify the best-fit sorption model for garlic.
• To determine thermodynamic properties related to moisture sorption.

Main Methods:

• Garlic samples were equilibrated at temperatures from 20-60°C and water activities from 0.2-0.9 using glycerol solutions.
• Nine different sorption models were fitted to the experimental data.
• Statistical parameters like mean relative error, standard error, and coefficient of determination were used for model comparison.
• Isosteric heat, isokinetic temperature, and free energy were calculated.

Main Results:

• Equilibrium moisture content decreased with increasing temperature at a constant water activity.
• The Oswin model provided the best fit for the experimental data.
• Isosteric heat of sorption decreased as moisture content increased.

Conclusions:

• The Oswin model accurately describes garlic's moisture sorption behavior under the studied conditions.
• Temperature significantly impacts garlic's equilibrium moisture content.
• Thermodynamic analysis provides insights into the energy changes during moisture sorption in garlic.