Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool to model fluid flow motions for momentum, mass and energy transfer. CFD has been widely used to simulate the flow pattern and temperature distribution during the thermal processing of foods. This paper discusses the background of the thermal processing of food, and the fundamentals in developing CFD models. The constitution of simulation models is provided to enable the design of effective and efficient CFD modeling. An overview of the current CFD modeling studies of thermal processing in solid, liquid, and liquid-solid mixtures is also provided. Some limitations and unrealistic assumptions faced by CFD modelers are also discussed.
Highlights
In the food industry, thermal processing, including sterilization and pasteurization, is defined as the process by which there is the application of heat to a food product in a container, in an effort to guarantee food safety, and extend the shelf-life of processed foods [1]
In contrast to the heat transfer in liquid foods that is dominated by natural convection, the heat transfer within the solid elements in liquid-solid foods occurs by conduction during thermal processing [5]
In contrast to the heat transfer in liquid foods, mixtures of liquid-solid food have been found to be heated by both convection and conduction [23,73,74]
Summary
Thermal processing, including sterilization and pasteurization, is defined as the process by which there is the application of heat to a food product in a container, in an effort to guarantee food safety, and extend the shelf-life of processed foods [1]. It is necessary to predict and quantify the heat transfer rate in the container (with various dimensions and shapes to precisely develop a thermal process that guarantees safety, and minimizes losses of quality and nutrients). It is difficult to develop appropriate mathematical models for the prediction of heat transfer phenomenon during the actual thermal processing of foods, mainly due to natural convection, which is the dominant mechanism for heat transfer inside containers. CFD has been improved to develop and validate mathematical models for better understanding of heat transfer mechanisms within the container during the thermal processing of foods [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. The existing current limitations and future trends of CFD models in thermal processing will be discussed
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