Experimental study of rehydration kinetics of potato cylinders

The rehydration characteristics of potato cylinders were examined. Samples were pre-dried in a convective oven (60 °C) or in a microwave oven (250, 440 or 600 W), and subsequently rehydrated in a water bath at temperatures between 20 and 80 °C. Fick's Second Law of Diffusion was used to describe the rehydration kinetics. The process was characterized by two effective diffusion coefficients (D1, D2), or two stages. The effect of temperature on D was interpreted using the Arrhenius relationship. The rehydration kinetics were dependent on temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, sample dimensions (diameter and diameter-to-length ratio), pre-blanching, drying method (convective or microwave) and pre-soaking (ionic surfactants and NaCl). Agitation and non-ionic surfactants did not effect the rehydration process.