Experimental and modeling methodologies for the analysis of water adsorption in food products. A review

TL;DR

This review summarizes experimental and modeling methods for analyzing water adsorption in food products, emphasizing recent advances and best practices in characterizing these processes since 2001.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of techniques and models used in water adsorption studies on food materials, highlighting recent methodological improvements.

Findings

Identification of effective experimental methodologies

Analysis of mathematical models for water adsorption

Recommendations for best practices in recent years

Abstract

The determination of the isothermal adsorption curves represents a mechanism that allows ob-taining information on the process of adsorption of water in organic and inorganic materials. In addition, it is a measure to be considered when characterizing the physicochemical and structural properties of the materials. We want to present an approach to the state of knowledge about the methods to characterize seeds and materials associated with food products physically and struc-turally, and to relate this knowledge to biophysical processes in these materials. This review considers the papers available since 2001 associated with water adsorption studies on seeds and other food products as well as the approach of different authors to to technical and experimental models and processes that are needed for the development of this topic. From these articles the applied experimental methodologies (obtaining samples, environmental conditions and labor-atory equipment) and the mathematical models used to give physical, chemical and biological meaning to the results were analyzed and discussed, concluding in the methodologies that have best adapted to the advance of the technology for obtaining isothermal curves in the last years.