Three-dimensional (3-d) numerical modelling of morphogenesis of dehydrated fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Food drying is one of the key techniques of preserving fruits and vegetables. Grid-based methods and meshfree methods are the two most viable techniques applicable for numerical modeling of food structures during drying. This chapter assesses various attempts made to numerically model plant cells and tissues during drying, along with subsequent phenomena. It evaluates the accuracy, versatility, and the potential influence toward the enhancement of the drying operation performance both in the current context and future. The chapter also discusses the information about different numerical modeling techniques and a recent application of meshfree methods for modeling plant cellular structures. It provides the development of a novel Three-Dimensional (3D) single plant cell drying model using a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics-coarse-grained (SPH-CG) numerical approach. The vertex tissue model investigates the relationship between water transport characteristics and the structural deformations observed in plant cellular structure under slow dehydration, which usually happens during the general storage conditions.