In recent years many efforts have been made to determine the sorption isotherms of foods at different temperatures. Ten years ago Wolf et al. (110) published a comprehensive collection of sorption isotherms measured by the authors or taken from literature. The same authors (111) measured several foods and spices in the temperature range from 5 to 60°C. Chirife et al. (23, 24, 26) and Iglesias and Chirife (52, 53, 55) frequently used these data in their important articles on the calculation of sorption isotherms and heat of sorption. Recently Iglesias and Chirife (56) published a book containing more than a thousand isotherms.

Influence of Temperature on Sorption Equilibria

An alternative to the Guggenheim, Anderson and De Boer model for the mathematical description of moisture sorption isotherms of foods

Modelling of French Emmental cheese water activity during salting and ripening periods

Effect of resistant starch on the water binding properties of imitation cheese

This work investigated the applicability in the food area of a new sorption equation recently developed by Ferro Fontan et al. (1982). The equation may be written, 1n (γ/aw) =α (m)-r, where, γ, α and r are parameters to be determined, m is the moisture content, and aw is water activity. It was found that the three parameter equation is able to describe the water sorption isotherm of 18 different foods in an extensive range of aw (up to about 0.95) with only 2–4% error (average) in the predicted moisture contents. Foods examined comprised, among other, oilseeds, starchy foods, and proteins.

M. Mathlouthi

Papers

Water vapor sorption of Gruyere cheese.