Simulation of simultaneous water and salt diffusion in dry fermented sausages by the Stefan–Maxwell equation

Dry fermented sausages are subjected to a drying process in which simultaneous water and salt diffusion takes place. In multicomponent diffusion, the diffusion of each species is influenced by the diffusion of other species. Thus, the description of the process by the generalized Stefan–Maxwell (GSM) equation is more rigorous than by the Fick equation. This work uses the GSM approach to model simultaneous water and salt diffusion in fermented pork sausages during drying. Experimentally measured profiles of salt and water content in 80 mm in diameter and 500 mm long sausages dried for up to 35 days were compared with the simulation results where GSM diffusivities of salt and water in meat were the only fitted parameters. A satisfactory agreement was obtained. The obtained diffusivities were strongly dependent on water content. Salt diffusivity was on the average three times larger than that of water.