Large-strain anisotropic behavior of meat during cooking: A finite element study

TL;DR

This study uses a computer model to show how meat fibers affect its shape and texture during cooking.

Contribution

A novel finite element model couples large-strain mechanics with heat and mass transfer to simulate meat deformation during cooking.

Findings

Fiber orientation strongly affects local deformation and overall shape during pan frying.

Anisotropic mechanical behavior and swelling parameters influence deformation magnitude and texture changes.

Direction-dependent heat and mass transfer parameters are critical for modeling meat cooking.

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of anisotropy in the deformation of meat during cooking, and how it influences transport properties such as diffusion and thermal conductivity. To address this multiphysics problem a Finite Element model was developed, coupling mass transfer of water with thermal energy transport and large-strain solid mechanics. To account for fiber directionality, an anisotropic constitutive model with swelling-driven deformation is implemented. Particular emphasis is given to the definition of the reference configuration. Numerical simulations reveal that fiber orientation significantly influences the local stretch and overall shape evolution during pan frying. The magnitude and anisotropy of the deformation are sensitive to the swelling parameters and the fiber stiffness. These findings offer insights into the physical origin of cooking-induced texture transformations in meat and provide a framework for modeling fibrous biological materials undergoing thermal and fluid-driven processes.

•Large deformation mechanics is coupled with heat and mass transfer to model meat pan frying.•Mechanical behavior is modeled as transversely isotropic to reflect fiber alignment.•Heat and mass transfer parameters are direction-dependent, varying along and across the fibers.•Fiber orientation strongly governs local deformation and macroscopic shape evolution.

Large deformation mechanics is coupled with heat and mass transfer to model meat pan frying.

Mechanical behavior is modeled as transversely isotropic to reflect fiber alignment.

Heat and mass transfer parameters are direction-dependent, varying along and across the fibers.

Fiber orientation strongly governs local deformation and macroscopic shape evolution.

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