DENSITY, SHRINKAGE AND POROSITY OF CALAMARI MANTLE MEAT DURING AIR-DRYING IN A CABINET DRYER AS A FUNCTION OF WATER-CONTENT

The particle density of calamari mantle meat powder decreased with inc reasing water content and apparent density gave a peak at low water co ntent, then decreased with increasing water content. The shrinkage and porosity were derived from the experimental density data and were cor related empirically. The empirical models were used to predict the den sity data. An attempt was made to apply the theoretical model proposed by Rahman (1991, Ph.D. Thesis, University of New South Wales, Austral ia) based on conservation of mass and volume, and modified to include excess volume and air pore formation. The uncertainty in the true dens ity measurement, which is a common difficulty in this area, has made i t impossible to predict accurately the excess volume thus limiting Rah man's model. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited