Effect Of Temperature On Desorption Isotherms For Beef

Abstract

Desorption isotherms of beef were determined by the standard static gravimetric technique, based on the use of saturated salt solutions with water activities from 0.05 to 0.9. Equilibrium moisture content of each sample at different temperatures and water activities were determined. The stable moisture content for meat during drying was also established. The GAB, BET and Oswin models were used to fit the experimental sorption data. Non-linear regression analysis was performed to estimate model parameters and fitting quality evaluated using the Coefficient of determination (R2 ) and the standard error of estimate (SEE). The equilibrium moisture content decreased with increase in temperature at constant water activity and increased with increase in water activity at constant temperature. The critical moisture was 10-20 % (d.b). The high values of R2 and low values of SEE for the GAB and Oswin models indicated that these models gave the best fit for the desorption data of beef.