Abstract
The study provides comprehensive information on the vacuum impregnation process applied to plant materials. It aims (in traditional applications) to ensure impermeability and elimination of porosity of various materials. The process substantially accelerates mass transfer in the liquid–solid system. The study describes the course of the process and accompanying phenomena as well its effects on plant tissues. The aim of the investigations was to determine the impact of some impregnation parameters (pressure, pressure change rate, vacuum maintenance time, relaxation time, and the coefficient of impregnating liquid viscosity) and the mode of impregnation (wet, dry, cyclic wet) on the degree of filling the plant tissue with the impregnating solution. Jonagold apples were used as the study material. The investigations have revealed that changes in the vacuum impregnation parameters (vacuum maintenance time, relaxation time, pressure change rate in the system) and the impregnation method do not exert a significant impact on the effectiveness of the process as expressed by the degree of permeation of the impregnating solution into the tissue. The pressure value and the viscosity coefficient were the only parameters that had a significant effect on the impregnation yield.
Highlights
Each type of impregnation under reduced pressure, referred to as vacuum impregnation, accelerates mass transfer in the liquid–solid system, reduces porosity, and improves material permeability; the process is widely applied in the production of engine blocks and heads, power and brake systems, and aircraft undercarriage elements [1]
In a porous food raw material-liquid system, there are coupled phenomena of material deformation and relaxation induced by expansion of gas escaping from pores and the outflow of liquids from free spaces [10,11,12]
The tests conducted during this experiment and the statisticalanalysis of theresults led to the following conclusion: Pressure and impregnating liquid viscosity coefficient are the only parameters that have a significant effect on the impregnation result, as reflected by the degree of filling of the tissue with the impregnating solution
Summary
Each type of impregnation under reduced pressure, referred to as vacuum impregnation, accelerates mass transfer in the liquid–solid system, reduces porosity, and improves material permeability; the process is widely applied in the production of engine blocks and heads, power and brake systems, and aircraft undercarriage elements [1]. Impregnation, which contributes to shortening the time of unit operations without disturbing the original structure of tissues [8], is applied in the production of food for modification, enrichment, or improvement of its quality [9].
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