Experimental and Numerical Study of the Evolution of Carrot Texture during Cooking in a Pressure Cooker

Abstract

This study deals with changes to the food texture of carrot (Daucus carota) during steam cooking in a pressure cooker. A previously developed thermal pressure cooker model was used to predict the temperature evolution of the product from core to surface. This compartment model took into account heat and mass transfer laws and various phenomena to adequately describe pressure cookers’ mode of operation. In addition, a model predicting texture evolution as a function of the time-temperature history was proposed and its parameters were determined from experimental measurements in a standard Kramer cell after homogeneous cooking in a water bath. Combining the two models enabled an estimate of the degree of cooking from core to surface of the product as a function of cooking time. A volume averaged value for the degree of cooking was generated and permitted a good prediction of texture by comparison with the Kramer cell measurements. The combined model can be used to compare different cooking conditions reaching the same final texture.