Salami Ripening Study by 2D Finite Element Model

Ripening, in the sausages manufacturing process, has an influence over the main chemical, microbiological and physical transformations that take place inside these products and that define the final organoleptic properties. A number of studies indicate that the final quality and safety standards achieved by the sausage manufacturing process can be considered to be strictly dependent from the specific ripening conditions. Among the main phenomena that occur during ripening, those involving the water transfer by diffusion are crucial. As a consequence the aim of this research was to develop a parametric numerical model able to describe water diffusion phenomena occurring inside the salami and the vapour exchange phenomena that take place at the interface between the product surface and the environment. Mass transfer equations inside the sausage volume were numerically solved using a finite element technique. The sausage material was described by two different ways and models: the first one considering a global diffusion coefficient experimentally measured and the second considering the estimated diffusion coefficient calculated on the base of meat and fat properties. In the last case, to describe the real distribution of the fat in the sausage and define the model geometry, a 2D image of a sausage slice was used. The results of two models were compared and experimentally validated. The numerical and experimental data were find to be in good agreement. Slight differences between the data obtained with the two models were observed.